HANDICRAFTS  FOR 
THE  HANDICAPPED 


Handicrafts  for  the 
Handicapped 


BY 

HERBERT  J.  HALL,  M.D. 

AND 

MERTICE  M.  C.  BUCK 

Authors  of  "The  Work  of  Our  Hands'* 


ILLUSTRATED  WITH  SKETCHES 

BY  THE  AUTHORS  AND 

PHOTOGRAPHS 


NEW  YORK 

MOFFAT,  YARD  &  COMPANY 
1917 


A 


COPYRIGHT,  1916 
BY  MOFFAT,  YARD  &  COMPANY 


Second  Printing,  November,  1917 


INTRODUCTION. 

In  a  former  volume,  "The  Work  of  Our 
Hands,"  the  authors  have  studied  the  advance 
which  has  been  made  along  industrial  lines  in 
the  hospitals  and  asylums  of  this  country.  The 
present  volume  is  intended  as  a  text  book  of  a 
few  crafts  which  have  proved  to  be  of  special 
value  to  handicapped  workers  outside  the  in- 
stitutions. The  directions  given  are  elaborate 
and  detailed  as  far  as  possible  so  that  the  indi- 
vidual worker  may  be  able  to  study  out  and 
practice  a  vocation  for  himself.  The  book  will 
also  be  found  of  value  to  crafts  workers  who 
are  dealing  with  handicapped  labor  in  the  vari- 
ous institutions ;  and  in  the  private  practice  of 
physicians  who  realize  that  a  patient  at  work  is 
a  patient  half  cured. 

The  subject  of  occupation  for  the  handi- 
capped has  fortunately  received  an  increasing 
amount  of  consideration  in  the  past  few  years. 
The  time  is  coming  before  long  when  the  mere 


vi  INTRODUCTION 

fact  that  a  man  is  partly  disabled  will  not  debar 
him  from  the  advantages  of  labor.  He  may 
not  be  able  to  pursue  his  usual  work,  but  a  com- 
petent system  for  the  benefit  of  the  handi- 
capped will  promptly  secure  him  a  chance  to 
work  at  something,  even  though  it  brings  him 
half  a  loaf  instead  of  a  whole  one.  Not  only 
are  hospital^  and  asylums  providing  suitable 
work  for  their  partly  disabled  charges,  but 
there  is  on  the  way  a  larger  movement  which 
will  some  day  meet  in  really  adequate  fashion 
the  needs  for  the  handicapped  everywhere. 

There  are  two  principal  reasons  why  an  in- 
jured man  should  be  given  something  to  do 
as  soon  as  possible  after  his  injury.  The  first 
and  perhaps  the  most  pressing  reason  is  that 
he  should  not  degenerate  and  become  a  chronic 
invalid  as  he  is  very  likely  to  do  when  his  facul- 
ties are  not  used.  The  second  reason  is  di- 
rectly in  the  interest  of  private  and  public 
economy.  According  to  our  present  system  of 
compensation  the  injured  employee  often  re- 
ceives through  the  insurance  companies  a  cer- 
tain proportion  of  his  wages  while  he  is  dis- 
abled. It  has  been  found  that  the  time  of  dis- 
ablement is  often  unnecessarily  prolonged  by 


INTRODUCTION  vii 

the  disinclination  or  the  apparent  inability  of 
the  patient  to  work  again.  This  is  not  always 
the  patient's  fault  because  in  many  cases  the 
initiative  fails  and  the  injury  may  easily  be 
such  as  to  make  possible  progress  difficult.  It 
has  been  suggested  that  experimental  work- 
shops be  provided  covering  a  variety  of  trades ; 
workshops  under  medical  supervision  where 
the  sick  or  injured  may  be  given  instruction 
and  help  along  the  lines  of  returning  efficiency. 
In  these  shops  it  would  soon  become  evident  if 
the  old  trade  could  ever  be  used  again,  and  it 
would  also  be  possible  in  many  instances  to 
adapt  the  individual  to  some  new  occupation. 
The  experimental  workshop  at  the  Massa- 
chusetts General  Hospital  has  already  demon- 
strated in  a  number  of  cases  the  soundness  of 
this  idea.  During  the  past  year  one  of  the  lia- 
bility companies  paid  indemnity  for  many 
months  to  a  young  woman  who  had  received 
a  cut  across  the  palm  of  the  hand.  This  girl 
happened  to  be  of  an  hysterical  tendency,  so 
that  beside  the  actual  difficulty  of  working  with 
stiffened  tendons  after  the  cut  had  healed,  she 
would  become  hysterical  at  the  slightest  manual 
effort  and  progress  would  cease.  She  was  in- 


viii  INTRODUCTION 

troduced  to  the  workshop  which  is  a  part  of  the 
hospital  organization.  She  realized  that  she 
was  under  medical  supervision  and  was  not  so 
much  afraid  as  she  would  have  been  in  other 
circumstances.  She  was  given,  more  or  less 
under  protest,  a  little  simple  work  to  do  in  con- 
nection with  the  flower  pot  industry  which  is 
being  carried  on  at  the  hospital.  At  first  she 
could  not  use  the  injured  hand  at  all,  but 
worked  with  the  other.  By  degrees  it  became 
convenient  for  her  to  steady  the  work  with  the 
injured  hand,  and  finally  to  perform  slight 
progressive  motions  with  it.  In  the  course  of 
a  few  weeks  she  was  using  the  hand  satisfac- 
torily and  has  since  gone  back  to  her  old  em- 
ployment. The  unnecessary  delay  was  in  no 
sense  the  fault  of  the  patient  who  might  never 
have  been  able  to  use  the  hand  except  through 
some  such  gradually  progressive  and  carefully 
guarded  method  as  this.  A  man,  the  subject 
of  mild  multiple  arthritis,  had  been  obliged  to 
give  up  his  work  as  a  cooper.  It  was  evident 
that  he  could  not  for  a  long  time  at  least  go 
back  to  that  rather  strenuous  occupation.  He 
had  been  given  all  kinds  of  the  regular  treat- 
ment including  massage,  electrical,  and  the 


INTRODUCTION  ix 

Zandar  machines,  without  much  improvement. 
In  the  shop  he  began  working  at  fairly  simple 
tasks  requiring  slight  motions  of  the  hands. 
The  interest  in  the  work  became  considerable 
and  by  degrees  he  was  able  to  increase  the  mo- 
tions of  his  joints  until  finally  he  was  equal  to  a 
full  day's  work  at  a  special  cement  working  oc- 
cupation. He  has  since  found  permanent  and 
lucrative  employment  in  an  outside  shop  doing 
the  same  kind  of  work.  The  reason  for  his  im- 
provement is  at  first  not  evident  because  the 
stiffened  joints  of  rheumatism  are  supposed  to 
be  very  difficult  to  relieve.  The  fact  was  that 
the  man  without  realizing  it  was  protecting 
his  joints  against  the  pain  of  motion.  He  was 
afraid  to  use  them  as  much  as  he  could.  The 
interest  of  the  work  overcame  that  fear  and 
the  joints  were  at  once  more  effective.  Grad- 
ual use  overcame  most  of  the  remaining  diffi- 
culty. These  are,  of  course,  especially  favor- 
able cases  but  they  are  typical  of  a  great  many 
that  could  be  benefited  and  even  restored  to  full 
usefulness  by  the  use  of  modified  occupation 
which  is  at  first  easily  within  the  compass  of 
crippled  joints  and  minds. 

It  is,  of  course,  evident  that  the  restoration 


X  INTRODUCTION 

of  disabled  workmen  to  even  partially  remu- 
nerative labor  means  the  relief  of  economic 
strain.  The  time  has  come,  if  it  is  not  already 
here,  when  the  demands  upon  the  family,  the 
state,  and  upon  industries  for  charitable  or 
semi-charitable  support  of  injured  and  dis- 
abled workmen  will  be  a  serious  burden.  In 
the  workshop  of  the  Massachusetts  General 
Hospital  it  has  been  possible  through  the  sale 
of  manufactured  products  to  pay  the  men  and 
women  employed  in  making  the  cement  flower 
pots  a  dollar  a  day  during  the  time  of  partial 
disability.  A  considerable  proportion  of  them 
have  been  graduated  into  better  jobs.  The 
workshop  has  become  in  a  small  way  a  labora- 
tory where  part  time  workers  can  be  studied 
with  the  idea  of  finding  new  occupations  and 
of  reducing  the  time  of  disability. 

The  principle  which  applies  so  clearly  to  the 
large  industrial  problems  applies  also  with 
equal  force  to  the  individual  who  has  failed  in 
life  and  who  needs  to  be  put  on  his  feet.  This 
individual  problem  involves  not  only  the  press- 
ing financial  difficulty  but  the  moral  situation 
as  well.  Few  of  us  are  able  to  be  idle  success- 
fully. Prolonged  idleness  almost  always  means 


INTRODUCTION  ad 

unhappiness  and  degeneration.  Thousands  of 
men  and  women  throughout  the  country  who 
have  failed  in  their  first  attempt  at  livelihood 
need  to  be  studied  and  directed  into  possible 
channels  of  success.  A  sort  of  revocational 
system  is  needed.  Every  one  recognizes  the 
advantages  to  be  gained  from  vocational  study 
and  training  in  youth.  Is  there  not  even  a 
greater  need  of  similar  study  and  direction 
when  in  spite  of  early  hopes  and  ambitions  fail- 
ure has  come  whether  through  illness  or  acci- 
dent or  through  unfortunate  choice  of  occupa- 
tion? 

The  work  cure  idea  has  advanced  very  rap- 
idly in  the  past  few  years,  especially  in  the  san- 
atoria for  the  treatment  of  nervous  exhaustion 
in  its  various  forms.  It  has  become  evident 
that  the  disability  of  nervous  exhaustion,  real 
and  undeniable  as  it  is,  may  be  rapidly  over- 
come in  a  great  proportion  of  the  cases  by  sys- 
tematic work  planned  in  such  a  way  as  to  avoid 
overstrain  and  discouragement.  It  has  been 
found  that  many  of  the  symptoms  of  nervous 
exhaustion,  the  lack  of  initiative,  the  sense  of 
fatigue,  irritability  and  fear,  will  be  modified 
in  a  most  astonishing  manner  when  the  patient 


xii  INTRODUCTION! 

has  become  efficient  along  some  simple  line  of 
work.  Of  course,  the  work  must  be  different 
from  that  which  has  been  customary.  Among 
brain  workers  the  work  must  be  largely  physi- 
cal; and  among  those  who  have  worked  with 
their  hands,  it  must  usually  be  simpler  and 
more  primitive  than  that  which  has  produced 
the  fatigue.  In  connection  with  ordinary  med- 
ical treatment  and  with  baths  and  special  sana- 
torium management,  systematic  work  will  give 
a  sure  foundation  for  mental  and  nervous  con- 
trol. A  man  who  has  given  out  in  business 
comes  to  the  sanatorium.  Instead  of  being  al- 
lowed to  worry  and  fret  about  his  business,  he 
is  given  some  simple  work  to  do.  Perhaps  he 
becomes  an  amateur  blacksmith  or  a  hand 
weaver.  The  mental  strain  is  relieved,  the  phy- 
sique improves,  and  the  cure  is  often  perma- 
nent. Beside  that,  the  patient  has  acquired  a 
new  interest,  an  avocation  which  will  always  be 
useful  to  him  as  an  offset  against  mental  and 
nervous  fatigue. 

The  casual  reader  may  wonder  how  a  liveli- 
hood is  to  be  made  from  the  crafts  described  in 
this  book,  and  it  undoubtedly  is  true  that  only 
in  occasional  instances  will  these  crafts  prove 


INTRODUCTION  xiii 

wholly  self  supporting.  But  if  they  help  to 
keep  the  wolf  from  the  door,  if  they  restore 
confidence  and  courage,  if  they  do  in  some 
measure  reduce  the  burden  of  public  and  in- 
dustrial obligation  to  the  handicapped,  they 
will  serve  a  most  valuable  purpose.  Because 
the  book  is  intended  for  the  use  of  pupils  as 
well  as  teachers,  its  phraseology  has  been  kept 
simple  and  untechnical  as  far  as  possible. 
Some  of  the  crafts  described  can  be  success- 
fully carried  on  without  trained  teaching,  but 
it  is  becoming  increasingly  possible  to  obtain 
teachers  for  the  handicapped.  The  sanatorium 
workshop  at  Marblehead,  Massachusetts,  un- 
der the  control  of  Dr.  Hall,  is  training  teachers 
as  fast  as  possible  to  meet  the  needs  of  hospital 
and  asylum  industries.  Other  institutions 
should  take  up  this  normal-school  idea  so  that 
in  days  to  come  there  will  be  no  lack  of  skilled 
direction  for  handicapped  labor.  Patients 
themselves  may  easily  become  teachers  and  in 
this  way  succeed  in  saving  not  only  themselves 
but  many  others  from  the  dangers  and  positive 
harms  of  idleness.  In  all  large  cities  there  are 
craftsmen  who  will  for  a  consideration  give 
lessons.  Usually  they  have  not  the  patience  to 


xiv  INTRODUCTION 

teach  invalids  but  it  should  be  possible  for  pros- 
pective teachers  to  obtain  a  knowledge  of  weav- 
ing, or  bookbinding,  for  instance,  so  that  they 
may  become  teachers  of  invalids. 

The  writers  take  pleasure  in  acknowledging 
the  valuable  assistance  of  a  considerable  group 
of  craftsmen  and  designers,  all  of  whom  are 
mentioned  in  "The  Work  of  Our  Hands." 
Acknowledgment  is  also  made  to  the  Massa- 
chusetts General  Hospital  for  the  privilege  of 
referring  to  cases  treated  there. 

Thanks  should  also  be  extended  to  the 
Craftsman  Publishing  Company  for  the  cour- 
tesy of  reproducing  both  printed  matter  and 
illustrations. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTION  ...,..,..     ,.,    ,.,    w    ..  v 

GENERAL  SUMMARY      .     ,.     ...    ,.,    ,.,    ,„    ,.,    ,.,     .  3, 

CHAPTER 

I     BASKETRY ......  7 

a.  Woven  Baskets 8 

b.  Sewed  or  Coiled  Baskets  .          ...  20 

II     CHAIR  SEATING .  83 

a.  Caning  Chairs 88 

b.  Rush  Seating 89 

III  NETTING      ....      .     , 4-5 

IV  WEAVING 59 

a.  The  Old  Looms .      .  65 

b.  Putting  on  the  Warp 68 

c.  Adjustment  of  Harness  for   Rag  Rug 

Weaving 72 

d.  Starting  the  Weaving 75 

e.  Pattern  Weaving 78 

V    BOOKBINDING 83 

a.  Albums,  Portfolios  and  Guest  Books     .  84 

b.  The  Rebinding  of  Old  Books     ...  99 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTEB  PAGE 

VI     CEMENT  WORKING 115 

VII     POTTERY  MAKING 135 

VIII     LIGHT  BLACKSMITHING 143 

IX!     APPENDIX.     LIST  OF  BOOKS  ON  CRAFTS  AND 

DEALERS  IN  CRAFT  WORK  SUPPLIES            ,  149 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING 
PAGE 

Potato     Basket.     Melon-Shaped     Basket.     Oblong 

Flower  Basket.     Drop  Handle  Flower  Basket     .  12 

Baskets  for  Holding  Cut  Flowers 14 

Jardinieres  and  a  Cut  Flower  Holder     .      .      .      .  16 

Glass-bottomed  Tea  Tray  and  Small  Flat  Baskets    .  18 

Types  of  Sewed  and  Twined  Baskets       ....  20 

Sewed   Basket  in  Pima   Style.     A  Washoe   Basket 

Made  by  Dat-So-La-Le 22 

Example  of  Twined  Weaving  Used  by  the  Porno 

Indians 28 

Tufted  Coverlid  with  Netted  and  Tufted  Fringe     .  48 

Center  of  Child's  Cap.     Old  Italian  Netted  Lace 

with  Tied-in  Pattern 54 

A  Typical  Colonial  Loom,  Showing  Principal  Parts  62 

An   Old   New   Hampshire   Loom  with   Blind   Tom 

Weaving 64 

Putting  on  Chained  Warp 70 

Putting  on  New  Warp  Without   Re-threading  the 

Heddles 74 

An  Amateur  Coverlid  Weaver 76 

The  Same  Weaver  After  a  Year's  Time  ....  78 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING 
PAGE 

A  Light  Weight  Loom  Recommended  by  Physicians 
for  the  Use  of  Convalescents 80 

Use  of  Sewing  Frame.     (Sewing  on  Tapes)       .      .104 
Covering  a  Full-Bound  Book 108 

Cement    Work.     1— The    Mould    Closed,    Showing 
Method  of  Tamping 120 

Cement  Work.     2 — Opening  the  Mould  .      .      .      .122 

Cement  Work.     3 — Lifting  the  Completed  Flower 
Pot  from  the  Core 124 

A  Water  Garden  for  the  Birds 126 

Fireplace  Tools,      .      . 144 

Foot  Scraper    .      ..    ..,    ...     .,    ,.,    ,.,    ...     .      .      .   146 


HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE 
HANDICAPPED 


GENERAL  SUMMARY 

Blessed  is  the  man  that  has  found  his  work,  let  him 
ask  no  other  blessedness. — Thomas  Carlyle. 

Pessimists  so  often  point  out  to  us  the  worn- 
out  drudge,  earning  his  bread  by  the  sweat  of 
his  brow,  that  it  is  a  relief  to  look  at  the  reverse 
of  the  medal,  and  see  the  worker  whose  toil  is 
his  pleasure,  who  "rejoiceth  as  a  strong  man  to 
run  a  race."  The  weaver  of  old,  the  potter, 
the  metal  worker,  all  those  craf tworkers  about 
whom  primitive  life  centered,  seem  to  have  en- 
joyed their  work,  for  they  made  it  not  only 
firm  and  durable,  but  they  embellished  it  with 
quaint  and  often  lovely  ornamentation.  As 
Jean  Francois  Millet  said:  "It  is  the  treating 
of  the  commonplace  with  the  feeling  of  the  sub- 
lime that  gives  to  art  its  true  value." 

Among  these  ancient  handicrafts  there  are 
many  which  cannot  be  replaced  by  machinery, 
or  in  which  there  is  always  a  demand  for 
exceptionally  beautiful  pieces  done  by  hand. 


FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

Weaving,  basketry  and  cement  work  are  well 
suited  for  such  craftsmanship,  and  are  also  lu- 
crative. Lace  making,  on  the  other  hand,  af- 
fords a  field  for  fine  workmanship,  but  is  a 
poorly  paid  craft  in  America.  The  same  is 
true  of  wood-carving.  Printing  is  interesting 
and  lucrative,  but  is  better  suited  to  the  pa- 
tients in  State  Hospitals  for  the  Insane,  or  to 
crippled  workers  than  to  neurasthenics.  Book- 
binding is  well  suited  to  invalid  workers  in 
their  own  houses,  as  well  as  to  shop  workers. 


HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE 
HANDICAPPED 


CHAPTER  I 
BASKETRY 


A  craft  of  great  utility,  and  possible  for  many  types  of 

hanrnpflrmerl   workers. 


handicapped  workers. 


a.  Reed  or  woven  baskets. 

Materials  used,  and  methods  of  handling,  starting 
round  and  oblong  baskets,  borders,  etc. 

Illustrations  of  melon-shaped  baskets,  cut-flower  hold- 
ers, jardinieres,  etc. 

b.  Sewed  or  coiled  baskets. 

Typical  Indian  methods  of  basket  making.     Materials 

used — raffia  as  a  substitute. 
Making  a  Navajo  stitch  bowl  basket  and  a  Porno  Bam 

Tush  twined  basket. 
Illustrations  of  stitches,  and  of  finished  baskets. 


BASKETRY 

BASKETRY  is  one  of  the  most  satisfactory  of 
crafts,  as  good  baskets  are  in  demand  every- 
where, the  materials  are  easily  obtainable  and 
the  work  itself  is  interesting,  affords  an  expres- 
sion of  artistic  ability,  and  is  not  too  difficult 
for  cripples  or  invalids  to  undertake  success- 
fully. 

Melon  shaped  baskets  such  as  are  made  by 
the  Kentucky  mountaineers,  and  by  the  Cana- 
dian habitants,  are  always  salable  anywhere, 
and  there  are  certain  other  types  such  as  work 
baskets,  scrap  baskets,  etc.,  always  in  demand, 
and  so  easy  to  make  that  it  is  not  necessary  to 
give  detailed  instructions  further  than  to  ex- 
plain the  various  weaves  used. 

The  most  of  the  baskets  illustrated  were 
made  by  old  crippled  men  in  the  Lincoln  Hos- 
pital and  Home  in  New  York  City — they  reg- 
ularly supply  a  garden  store  with  large  flower 

7 


8          HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

baskets,  a  florist  with  holders  for  cut  flowers, 
and  a  candy  and  bonbon  shop  with  candy  bas- 
kets of  reed.  Some  workers  confine  their  ef- 
forts to  very  fine  sewed  or  coiled  raffia  baskets 
which  sell  for  from  five  to  ten  dollars  each. 
As  soon  as  the  workers  became  proficient  their 
work  found  a  ready  market.  Experiments 
are  now  being  made  by  them  with  baskets  of 
native  materials,  such  as  maple  splints,  rush 
and  corn  husks. 

WOVEN   BASKETS 

Baskets  are,  and  have  been  from  time  im- 
memorial, so  essential  in  the  carrying  on  of  our 
domestic  life,  that  it  is  worth  considering  what 
styles  are  most  suitable  for  various  purposes, 
and  what  pleasures  and  profit  may  be  derived 
from  making  them.  The  accompanying  cuts 
are  of  simple  reed  baskets  suitable  for  country 
use.  While  of  unpretentious  design  and  of  in- 
expensive material,  they  offer  suggestions  for 
receptacles  for  flowers  and  vegetables  which 
may  be  elaborated  to  suit  the  worker's  indi- 
vidual taste. 

The  great  secrets  of  success  in  basketry  are 
careful  judgment  as  to  form  (and  in  this  the 


BASKETRY  9 

fitness  for  purpose  must  be  considered)  and 
neatness  of  execution.  A  basket  may  be 
coarse,  done  with  large  material,  and  yet  not 
produce  a  rough  effect;  but  it  must  be  solid, 
and  tightly  woven  or  it  will  soon  begin  to  yield 
and  grow  "wobbly"  when  it  is  used.  The  work 
depends  so  much  on  the  care  of  materials  and 
the  patience  of  the  worker,  and  so  little  on  tools 
— all  that  are  needed  being  a  pair  of  scissors, 
a  rule,  and  a  coarse  knitting  needle — that  it  is 
well  to  emphasize  the  importance  of  a  little 
time  being  spent  in  getting  the  reeds  just  right 
before  starting  to  weave. 

A  few  general  remarks  may  be  helpful  in 
regard  to  the  choice  and  preparation  of  ma- 
terial. Reed,  varying  in  size  from  No.  00, 
which  is  about  as  thick  as  knitting  cotton,  to 
No.  6,  which  is  as  large  as  a  lead  pencil,  may 
be  procured  by  the  pound  from  kindergarten 
supply  stores.  In  selecting  it,  care  should  be 
taken  to  get  bundles  in  which  the  strands  are 
white  and  flexible.  Nos.  2,  4  and  5  are  suitable 
for  the  baskets  shown  here.  If  it  is  desirable 
to  introduce  color,  the  completed  basket  may 
be  dipped  in  dye  or  painted,  but  it  is  well  to 
limit  the  color  schemes  to  greens  and  browns. 


10        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

In  working  in  a  pattern  in  color,  dyed 
reed  may  be  used.  So-called  Easy  Dye,  and 
Rainbow  Dye,  of  light  green,  afford  pleas- 
ing shades,  and  if  the  reed  is  boiled  about 
ten  minutes  in  the  dye,  the  color  will  be  fairly 
permanent.  Golden  brown  in  the  same  dyes 
is  satisfactory.  For  those  who  are  so  for- 
tunate as  to  know  the  old  methods  for  dyeing 
with  walnut  bark,  saffron,  logwood,  etc.,  ar- 
tistic effects  may  be  promised  which  will  more 
than  repay  the  labor  expended;  but  color 
should  be  used  sparingly,  and  in  lines  and 
simple  bandings,  rather  than  in  elaborate  pat- 
terns. Perfection  of  execution  is  due  largely 
to  the  condition  of  the  material  when  the  work 
is  being  done.  The  reeds  must  be  rolled  two  or 
three  at  a  time  into  coils,  and  soaked  about  ten 
minutes  in  hot  water  until  they  become  pliable, 
to  insure  a  fine  tight  weave.  The  accompany- 
ing pen  and  ink  sketches  show  the  method  of 
starting  the  round  bottomed  baskets.  The 
oval-bottomed  flower  baskets  are  more  difficult, 
and  should  not  be  attempted  until  some  skill 
has  been  attained.  The  drop-handled  flower 
basket  is  a  particularly  good  model,  as  the 


BASKETRY  11 

folding  handles  make  it  easy  to  pack  in  a 
trunk. 

In  working  at  any  basket  it  is  well  to  insert 
extra  spokes  where  the  basket  turns  up,  stick- 
ing in  each  almost  to  the  center  of  the  bottom. 


STARTING  BASKETS. 

ROUND  BOTTOM  WITH  6  SPOKES. 

ROUND  BOTTOM  WITH  8  SPOKES.    OBLONG  BOTTOM. 

If  necessary  a  knitting  needle  may  be  used  to 
enlarge  the  space  before  pushing  in  the  spokes. 
If  it  is  desirable  to  give  a  spiral  effect  in  the 
natural  color  and  brown  or  green,  an  uneven 
number  of  spokes  must  be  used,  with  one 
weaver  of  white  and  one  of  the  desired  color, 


13        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

crossing  between  the  spokes.  Up  and  down 
stripes  may  be  obtained  by  using  an  even  num- 
ber of  spokes,  and  weaving  with  two  strands. 
All  such  designs  should  be  bordered  by  a  heavy 
band  of  the  natural  color  or  of  the  dark  color 
or  the  pattern  will  lack  character.  Beginners 
should  be  chary  in  the  use  of  color. 


2  STRAND  WEAVE  IN  2  COLORS. 
3  STRAND  (TRIPLE)  WEAVE  IN  2  COLORS. 

Care  must  be  exercised  in  putting  in  handles, 
and  in  finishing  the  upper  edge.  A  glance  at 
the  cuts  shows  the  handles  as  being  interwoven 
into  the  sides  of  the  basket,  and  a  close  analysis 
of  the  real  articles  would  show  the  ends  as  be- 
ing carried  into  the  bottom  so  that  the  basket 
will  hold  a  considerable  weight  without  the 
handles  pulling  loose.  In  the  melon-shaped 
basket,  the  handle  is  part  of  a  circle  forming 
the  backbone,  so  to  speak,  of  the  whole  struc- 
ture. Another  circle  intersecting  this  forms 
the  top  of  the  sides. 


REED  BASKETRY. 

Potato  basket 
Melon  shaped  basket. 
Oblong   flower   basket. 
Drop  handle  flower  basket. 


1 


BASKETRY 


13 


While  all  these  baskets  are  for  practical  use, 
they  are  quite  unlike  in  the  purposes  for  which 
they  are  intended,  and  a  reed  bird's  nest  or 
bird-house  might,  perhaps,  be  excluded  as  not 
being  a  real  basket.  It  is,  however,  eminently 
fitted  for  country  use,  and  after  a  few  weeks' 


MELON-SHAPED  BASKET. 

exposure  to  sun  and  rain,  the  reed  will  take  on 
the  silvery  tones  of  weather-beaten  wood,  and 
seem  a  part  of  the  landscape.  Among  our 
wild  birds,  bluebirds  seem  particularly  willing 
to  adapt  to  their  own  use  a  ready-made  domi- 
cile, and  even,  it  is  said,  to  return  to  the  same 
one  year  after  year.  This  nest  need  not  be 


14        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

very  large,  and  may  be  fastened  to  a  bough 
within  sight  of  the  house,  as  the  bluebirds  do 
not  fly  from  their  human  neighbors.  In  Scan- 
dinavia such  nests  are  very  common,  and  the 
return  of  bird  couples  among  the  smaller 
feathered  friends  is  counted  upon,  just  as  is 
the  annual  visit  of  the  storks,  who  find  their 
rooftree  homes  prepared  with  a  foundation  of 
a  cart  wheel  by  their  hosts,  ready  to  be  added 
to  with  each  successive  spring. 

Not  only  birds,  but  their  natural  enemies, 
cats  and  dogs,  may  be  provided  with  home- 
made resting  places.  A  friend  of  the  author's 
acquaintance  has  a  tortoise-shell  cat  which  re- 
joices in  a  hand-made  basket  of  brown  and 
buff,  with  a  touch  of  turquoise  blue,  which  looks 
particularly  charming  with  his  tawny  coloring. 
Finding  this  basket  by  the  fireside,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  investigate  with  eyes,  nose  and  claws, 
and  the  result  being  satisfactory,  he  at  once 
took  possession  and  has  used  it  over  two  years. 

The  first  requisites  of  baskets  to  hold  potted 
plants  should  be  strength  and  simplicity; 
coarse  materials,  No.  5  for  spokes  and  Nos.  3 
and  4  for  weaving,  should  be  used.  A  wooden 
bottom  may  be  used  and  this  adds  to  the 


BASKETS  FOR  HOLDING  CUT  FLOWERS 


BASKETRY  15 

strength  of  the  basket.  Basswood  of  %  inch 
thickness  makes  a  good  base.  The  size  of  the 
bottom  having  been  decided  on  (9  or  10  inches 
would  be  suitable  for  a  fern,  or  a  small  palm) , 
a  circle  should  be  drawn  on  the  wood  with  a 
compass,  and  the  circular  piece  sawed  out  with 
a  keyhole  saw.  The  edges  should  be  filed 
smooth  and  sandpapered.  Inside  this  circle 
from  the  same  center  another  circle  should  be 
drawn  %  inch  inside  this  one,  as  a  guide  line 
along  which  points  can  be  drawn  for  holes  to 
be  bored.  These  holes  should  be  not  more  than 
%  inch  apart  to  insure  firm  weaving.  The 
holes  should  be  bored  on  the  points  thus  in- 
dicated with  a  bit  1-6  inch  in  diameter.  If  it 
proves  difficult  to  mark  the  points  with  a  rule, 
the  compass  set  to  %  inch  may  be  used  to  "step 
off"  the  required  points  on  the  guide  line.  To 
cut  the  spokes  for  a  wooden  bottomed  basket 
it  is  necessary  to  first  decide  on  the  height  de- 
sired, then  double  this  and  add  one  inch  for  the 
space  between  the  holes,  as  each  spoke  goes 
from  the  top  of  the  basket  down  through  a 
hole,  across  the  bottom  of  the  wood  to  the  next 
hole  and  then  up.  There  should,  of  course,  be 
half  as  many  spokes  as  there  are  holes.  These 


16        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

long  strips  should  be  cut  and  rolled  and  soaked 
in  hot  water  until  pliable.  The  weavers  must 
also  be  soft.  The  weaving  may  be  done  with 
double  or  triple  weave,  and  a  row  of  open  work 
adds  to  the  effect,  as  the  dull  red  of  the  pottery 
showing  through  adds  a  nice  note  of  color.  The 


BORDERS. 

border  should  be  flat,  rather  than  coiled  One 
of  the  photographs  shows  an  open  weave  or- 
namented by  adding  spokes  to  form  a  cross 
in  each  open  space.  The  borders  illustra- 
ted are  all  made  strong  by  inserting  extra 
spokes. 

Baskets  to  be  used  as  jardinieres  may  be  stif- 
fened by  staining  with  oil  paints  mixed  with 


BASKETRY  17 

much  turpentine  to  prevent  shininess.  A  very 
good  color  combination  is  that  of  burnt  sienna 
and  Prussian  blue  mixed  so  as  to  give  a 
cloudy  effect  of  greenish  brown.  This  coloring 
harmonizes  with  potted  ferns  as  well  as  flower- 
ing plants.  The  baskets  are  made  less  liable 
to  warp  by  protecting  the  surface  with  the  oil 
paint,  and  as  plant  baskets  are  often  used  on 
a  veranda,  this  seems  worth  consideration.  If 
it  is  desired  to  conceal  the  edge  of  the  wooden 
bottom,  this  may  be  done  by  tacking  a  braid 
on,  over  the  edge  of  the  wood,  or  by  putting  in 
extra  spokes,  short  ones,  from  the  back  of  the 
basket  upward,  leaving  ends  about  two  inches 
long,  on  which  a  few  rows  of  weaving  and  a 
border  may  be  put  as  shown  in  the  photo- 
graphic illustrations. 

Jardinieres  of  all  reed  are  rather  difficult,  on 
account  of  the  great  length  of  the  spokes  re- 
quired, but  this  difficulty  may  be  obviated  by 
weaving  the  bottom  first,  on  eight  spokes  10 
inches  long,  exactly  like  the  bottom  of  a  small 
basket.  When  the  weaving  has  proceeded 
nearly  to  the  end  of  the  spokes,  a  strip  14  inches 
long  may  be  inserted  beside  each  spoke,  the 
basket  turned  up  omitting  these  ends,  which 


18        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

may  be  cut  off  or  used  to  form  a  woven  base 
similar  to  that  already  mentioned. 

When  cut  flowers  have  to  be  transported 
from  place  to  place  it  is  desirable  to  have  them 
protected  from  light  and  dust.  Two  simple 
baskets  are  illustrated  which  may  be  used  for 
this  purpose;  one  represents  a  small  basket, 
about  8  inches  across,  intended  especially  for 
the  packing  of  a  bunch  of  violets,  the  raised 
cover  preventing  the  crushing  of  the  topmost 
blossoms.  One  florist  recently  used  five  dozen 
similar  to  this.  The  larger  basket  allows  cut 
flowers  to  lie  loosely  without  bending  the  stems. 
A  side  view  of  this  large  basket  is  shown  with 
the  jardinieres. 

These  baskets  are  very  suitable  to  decorate 
with  color.  The  smaller  ones  are  attractive 
dipped  after  they  are  completed  in  a  soft  toned 
dye  bath — baby  blue  in  Diamond  Dyes  gives 
a  delicate  dull  blue,  and  Easy  Dye  gives  tan, 
dull  green  and  lavender.  The  latter  color  and 
old  rose,  however,  are  hard  to  render  perma- 
nent on  reed.  Large  baskets  are  liable  to  lose 
their  shape  if  dipped  in  dye,  and  are  more  satis- 
factory stained  with  oil  paint  and  turpentine, 
as  described  above. 


BASKETRY  19 

Trays  are  most  fascinating  examples  of  the 
basket-makers'  art.  The  woven  one  at  the  left 
offers  but  little  difficulty,  as  it  resembles  a  low, 
round  basket,  but  the  glass  bottomed  one  is 
quite  complex.  A  wooden  bottom  must  be 
used  to  keep  the  glass  in  place,  and  the  weav- 
ing is  done  around  this.  To  accomplish  this, 
it  is  necessary  to  use  a  large  piece  of  cardboard 
on  which  a  line  is  drawn  exactly  the  size  of  the 
wooden  bottom,  to  hold  the  weaving  in  place. 
The  cardboard  is  pierced  with  holes  one-half 
inch  apart  through  which  small  spokes  are  run, 
projecting  both  above  and  below  the  cardboard 
about  4  inches.  The  top  may  then  be  woven 
I~i/2  inches  high.  The  upright  ends  of  the 
spokes  should  then  be  worked  down  through 
as  far  as  the  wooden  bottom  and  pulled  out 
inside  to  make  a  border  as  illustrated  in  the 
photograph.  The  cardboard  may  then  be 
pulled  out,  the  glass,  cretonne  and  wooden  bot- 
tom put  in  place,  and  the  weaving  continued 
to  form  the  lower  part  of  the  tray.  A  very 
good  finish  is  made  by  bending  the  bottom  of 
the  spokes  in  toward  the  center,  and  weaving 
a  border  on  the  bottom  of  the  tray  to  hold  the 
board  solid. 


SO        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

Space  cannot  be  given  here  to  directions  for 
elaborate  borders,  handles  and  covers,  as  only 
the  most  elementary  principles  can  be  taught 
in  so  brief  a  paper.  But  the  appended  illus- 
trations of  actual  baskets,  most  of  which  were 
made  in  a  home  for  chronic  invalids,  will  offer 
suggestion  as  to  the  methods  of  working  out 
the  more  difficult  problems  of  the  fitting  of 
covers  and  adjusting  of  suitable  handles.  The 
large  basket  shown  in  detail,  shows  an  inter- 
esting method  of  dealing  with  the  cover;  as 
this  sinking  of  the  handle  allows  the  basket  to 
be  packed  in  a  trunk  without  taking  up  undue 
space.  The  handles  of  this  basket  are  wound 
with  heavy  chair  cane.  It  is  also  strengthened 
by  cords  of  No.  6  weave  around  the  sides. 

The  most  interesting  feature  of  all  these  bas- 
kets is  the  original  manner  of  applying  the 
various  weaves,  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  reader 
will  devise  still  more  quaint  and  practical  de- 
signs. 

SEWED   OR   COILED   BASKETS 

As  this  paper  aims  to  give  a  brief,  but  defi- 
nite, description  of  a  few  ways  of  applying  In- 
dian basket-makers'  methods  to  our  own  ma- 


BASKETRY  21 

terials,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  call  to  mind  the 
two  great  classes  under  which  all  baskets — di- 
verse as  they  seem — may  be  grouped. 

(1)  Those  which  are  twined  or  woven. 

(2)  Those  which  are  sewed  or  coiled. 
Under  the  first  head  are  included  all  such 

as  are  made  by  twining  a  flexible  material 
around  spokes,  usually  crossing  at  the  center 
in  a  wheel-like  arrangement,  but  sometimes 
forming  an  ellipse  or  an  oblong.  In  these  bas- 
kets the  methods  of  weaving  are  infinite. 
Three  typical  Indian  styles  are  illustrated. 
Reed  and  willow  baskets  are  also  woven  on 
this  principle. 

There  are  many  varieties  of  coiled  baskets. 
Some  of  the  familiar  stitches  used  in  them  are 
the  "lazy  squaw,"  the  "pineapple,"  the  "Mari- 
posa"  or  "knot  stitch,"  and  the  "Navajo"  or 
"figure  eight"  stitch.  The  "Navajo"  is  an  ex- 
cellent stitch,  as  it  produces  a  basket  practi- 
cally water  tight  and  as  firm  as  a  rock.  It  is 
not  confined  to  the  tribe  of  Navajos,  but  is  used 
with  slight  variations  by  the  Apaches,  Washoes 
of  Nevada,  Tulares,  and  others. 

One  of  the  most  famous  basket  makers  in 
the  world  is  an  old  Indian  woman  of  the 


22        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

Washoe  tribe  named  Dat-So-La-Le.  Her 
work  commands  fabulous  prices.  One  basket 
contains  50,000  stitches,  about  thirty  to  the 
inch,  although  it  is  only  seven  and  one-half 
inches  high  and  ten  across.  It  sold  for  $1,- 
500.00.  Her  baskets  are  wonderfully  beauti- 
ful in  form,  they  also  excel  in  strength,  and 
smoothness  of  execution.  She  uses  very  sim- 
ple designs,  and  very  few  colors,  depending 
on  perfection  of  craftsmanship  rather  than  on 
elaborate  ornamentation.  All  Indian  workers 
use  such  materials  as  are  native  to  the  regions 
where  they  live,  simple  grasses  and  barks,  and 
sometimes  twigs.  Usually  these  are  of  the  col- 
ors of  the  desert  from  which  they  were  gath- 
ered, dull  browns  and  blues,  and  the  creamy 
yellow  of  the  willow  twigs  from  the  springs, 
the  reddish  brown  of  red-bud  bark,  and  glossy 
black  of  maiden-hair  fern.  Such  as  must  be 
dyed  are  prepared  with  vegetable  dyes,  which 
only  deepen  with  age,  but  these,  too,  are  of  the 
same  scheme  of  brown,  worked  into  a  ground 
work  of  cream  color. 

In  the  East  there  are  a  few  native  materials 
in  the  shape  of  meadow  grasses,  corn-husks  and 
rushes,  but  unless  prepared  at  just  the  right 


BASKETRY  33 

time,  they  are  not  satisfactory.  Corn-husks  are 
the  most  satisfactory  as  they  are  so  easily  pro- 
cured. 

Raffia  is  perhaps  the  best  material  for  the 
outer  covering  in  coiled  baskets,  but  it  should 
be  confined  more  or  less  to  the  color  scheme  of 
the  Indians,  the  natural  color  for  a  basis,  with 
touches  of  tan,  brownish  red,  golden  brown  and 
a  little  black.  Olive  in  a  dull  tone  can  also  be 
used.  Natural  raffia  can  be  obtained  from  a 
florist  at  about  twenty  cents  a  pound.  It 
should  be  washed  with  soap,  well  rinsed,  and 
hung  in  the  sunshine  to  dry. 

No.  2  reed  is  a  good  average  size.  A  basket 
made  in  this  number  in  Navajo  stitch  should 
be  practically  water-tight.  A  very  simple  de- 
sign is  given  of  a  Tulare  bowl-basket.  The 
reed  used  must  be  soaked  for  ten  minutes  in 
warm  water,  then  sharpened  to  a  point. 

Thread  a  needle  with  the  large  end  of  a 
strand  of  raffia  to  prevent  fraying.  The  end 
of  the  reed  is  coiled  with  the  fingers  into  a  small 
spiral. 

The  center  is  sewed  over  and  over,  the  end 
of  the  reed  always  extending  to  the  left.  The 
real  figure  eight  stitch  begins  at  the  third  row. 


TOP   VIEW. 


FRONT  VIEW. 

BOWL-SHAPED  BASKET  IN  NAVAJO  STITCH. 
M 


BASKETRY  25 

This  stitch  is  so  named  because  it  crosses  be- 
tween two  reeds,  forming  a  loop  over  each,  in 
a  perfect  figure  eight. 

The  part  of  the  basket  sewn  is  called  the  coil. 
It  is  not  always  made  of  reed.  Some  workers 
prefer  a  flexible  coil  of  raffia,  corn-husks,  or 
even  cord.  However,  when  a  new  thread  is 
started  the  ends  should  be  secured  by  sewing 


STARTING  OF  NAVAJO  STITCH  BASKET. 

them  into  the  coil.  The  last  row  of  the  coil  is 
called  the  lower  reed  and  the  reed  which  is  be- 
ing sewed  in,  the  upper  reed. 

In  the  figure  eight  stitch,  the  thread  comes 
out  toward  the  workers  between  the  two  reeds 
and  is  carried  down  in  front  of,  under,  and 
behind  the  lower  reed,  coming  out  again  be- 
tween the  two,  which  completes  the  first  half 


26         HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

of  the  figure  eight.  It  then  goes  in  front  of, 
over,  and  behind  the  upper  reed,  and  comes  out 
again  between  the  two  reeds. 

The  thread  must  be  pulled  taut,  or  the  sur- 
face will  be  rough. 

To  make  the  bowl-basket  illustrated,  make 
a  bottom  four  inches  across.  Then  fill  a  needle 
with  coarse  black  cotton  and  sew  two  lines  of 
stitches  across  through  the  center,  at  right 
angles  to  each  other,  as  shown  in  the  illustra- 
tion, leaving  the  needle  with  natural  raffia  at- 
tached to  the  basket.  Take  a  thread  of  dark 
raffia  and  sew  from  the  end  of  one  of  these 
guide  lines,  carrying  the  light  raffia  in  the  coil, 
to  within  an  inch  of  the  next  guide  line.  Then 
sew  this  one  inch  with  the  light,  carrying  the 
dark  in  the  coil,  then  again  with  dark  to  within 
one  inch  of  the  next  guide  line.  Finish  this 
now  to  correspond.  Start  the  turn-up  of  the 
basket  by  pulling  on  the  reed.  It  must  turn 
gradually  like  a  bowl,  so  do  not  pull  too  hard, 
and  hold  the  reed  in  position  in  working  the 
following  rows. 

To  start  the  oblong  designs  work  over  each 
light  space  with  dark,  and  fill  in  between  with 
light.  Make  five  rows  like  this,  the  fifth  row 


BASKETRY  27 

will  be  covered,  as  each  row  is  gone  over  twice. 
To  start  the  next  design  carry  the  black  one 
inch  to  the  left  of  the  last  design  and  go  around 
in  this  way,  one  inch  to  the  left  up  each  figure. 
Make  five  rows  like  this. 

Make  the  other  oblongs  in  the  same  way. 
Four  rows  from  the  top  begin  to  pull  the  reed 
to  make  the  upper  edge  curve  in. 

Sometimes  Indians  sew  in  the  new  threads 
but  leave  the  ends  on  the  inside  to  be  cut  off 
afterwards.  This  basket  could  be  worked  in 
black,  yellow  and  natural  raffia. 

The  Porno  twined  baskets  are  famous  for 
their  lightness  and  flexibility.  They  are  made 
with  spokes  of  the  wild  grape  vine  and  very 
close-woven  as  they  are  often  conical;  they  are 
easily  carried  in  a  net  and  form  a  kind  of  port- 
able granary.  The  principle  of  weaving  is 
always  the  same,  very  few  spokes  are  used  at 
the  center,  and  to  these  are  constantly  added 
new  ones  as  the  basket  grows  in  size. 

Very  small  reed,  number  one  or  what  is 
called  "double  nought,"  would  answer  very 
well.  Cut  eight  pieces  fourteen  inches  long, 
and  about  fifty  pieces  seven  inches  long.  Take 
four  of  the  long  pieces  and  weave  a  strip  of 


28        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

raffia  near  the  center,  weave  another  piece  like 
this  and  put  the  two  together  so  that  the  two 
ends  of  raffia  come  to  the  same  corner.  Weave 
these  two  ends  around  and  around,  crossing 
them  over  each  spoke.  Whenever  there  is  an 


POMO  BAM  TUSH.    1,  2,  3,  STARTING.      4,    TWINED  WEAVE 
"WATTLING."    5,  "Ti"  OR  "TEE"  BAND. 

open  space  stick  a  sharpened  spoke  through 
the  last  stitch. 

After  about  an  inch  of  weaving,  the  bottom 
may  be  stiffened  by  putting  an  extra  reed 
called  a  "ti"  or  "tee"  on  the  outside,  including 


EXAMPLE  OF   TWINED  WEAVING 

As  used  by  the  Porno  Indians — watertight  but 

flexible. 


BASKETRY  29 

it  in  the  weaving.  Go  two  or  three  times 
around  with  this  band,  as  it  makes  a  base  into 
which  to  stick  spokes. 

To  turn  up  the  basket  put  in  another  ti  band 
of  three  or  four  rows.  This  style  of  weaving 
can  be  done  to  advantage  bottom-side  up.  The 
Indians  do  it  by  fitting  the  basket  on  the  bot- 
tom of  a  stone  jar. 

It  is  better  not  to  attempt  a  regular  pattern 
or  a  large  basket  at  first,  rather  make  a  small 
one  and  weave  in  bands  of  color. 


CHAPTER  II 
CHAIR  SEATING 

a.  Cane  seating. 

Humble  industry,  but  always  useful  everywhere. 
Material,  and  its  use.     Illustration  of  steps  in  caning 
— various  weaves.     Binding,  etc. 

b.  Rush  seating. 

Lucrative  industry,  known  to  but  few,  suitable  for  city 

or  country  workers. 
Preparation  of  rushes. 
Method  of  working,  illustrated  by  sketches. 


II 

CHAIR  SEATING 

CANING  CHAIRS 

TWENTY-FIVE  or  thirty  years  ago  there  was 
in  nearly  every  household  some  person  who  un- 
derstood how  to  replace  the  worn-out  seat  in  a 
"cane-bottom"  chair.  This  useful  art  was 
gradually  forgotten,  but  in  the  recent  revival 
of  interest  in  homely  industries  cane  seating 
and  rush  seating  have  come  again  to  the  fore. 
The  following  directions,  carefully  followed, 
will  give  good  results.  Cane  is  the  bark  of  a 
long,  slender  vine,  the  inside  of  which  is  the 
material  which  is  called  reed  or  rattan.  The 
cane  being  removed,  the  rattan  is  put  through 
a  tubular  cutter  which  makes  it  of  the  desired 
size.  The  cane  is  sold  in  bunches  of  a  thousand 
threads.  It  comes  in  several  sizes ;  coarse,  me- 
dium, fine,  and  fine-fine  being  the  most  used. 
It  is  necessary  also  to  have  a  few  threads  of 

33 


34        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

what  is  called  binding  cane.  In  order  to  use 
it  to  the  best  advantage  it  should  be  soaked  for 
a  few  minutes  in  warm  water  and  then  put  to 
drain  in  a  damp  towel.  The  frame  for  prac- 
tice may  be  purchased  at  a  kindergarten  sup- 
ply store.  It  is  like  an  empty  slate  frame,  and 
an  old-fashioned  slate  frame  with  the  regular 
holes  is  equally  good.  It  is  necessary  to  have 
some  small  pegs  to  fit  these  holes  to  hold  the 
cane  in  place.  If  the  frame  has  an  uneven 
number  of  holes  the  first  line  of  cane  should  go 
from  the  center  front  hole  to  the  center  back 
hole.  An  end  three  inches  long  being  pushed 
down  through  the  front  hole  and  pegged  in 
place,  the  long  piece  of  cane  is  then  pushed 
down  through  the  center  back  hole  and  pegged 
in  place.  The  weaving  then  goes  up  through 
the  next  right-hand  hole,  each  successive  row 
being  pegged  with  the  pegs  from  the  preceding 
row.  The  weaving  is  then  done  from  the  cen- 
ter to  the  left  in  the  same  way.  The  second 
process  is  the  weaving  across  the  frame,  which 
is  done  in  the  same  way,  beginning  at  the 
center. 

The  third  process  is  a  series  of  vertical  lines, 
over  the  first  series.    By  this  time  there  will 


CHAIR  SEATING 


35 


be  ends  to  fasten,  which  may  be  done  by  mois- 
tening each  with  a  damp  sponge,  and  wrapping 
it  once  around  the  nearest  cane  that  goes  be- 
tween two  holes,  as  may  be  seen  by  reference 


FASTENING  ENDS. 

to  a  chair.  The  ends  must  be  securely  fas- 
tened, and  the  work  should  be  done  carefully. 
The  pegs  may  be  removed  after  the  ends  are 
fastened. 

The  next  weave  is  the  one  which  beginners 
usually  find  the  most  difficult,  and  care  must 


CHAIR  CANING. 


be  taken  to  avoid  mistakes.  The  weaving 
should  be  done  with  the  right  hand,  the  left 
being  kept  under  the  work  to  guide  the  point 
of  cane  which  should  be  sharpened  occasionally. 


36        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

The  work  should  go  from  right  to  left  in  this 
order:  just  below  the  top  row,  over  an  upper 
vertical,  under  a  lower,  across  the  top  row,  then 
thread  the  cane  through  the  hole,  bring  it  up 
in  the  next  lower  hole,  and  go  back  from  left 
to  right,  just  below  the  second  row,  the  only 
difference  being  that  the  first  weave  is  below 
the  lower  vertical  instead  of  over  the  upper. 
The  rows  must  form  perfect  little  squares  as 
shown  in  the  sketch,  which  should  be  studied 
closely.  When  the  frame  is  filled  with  this 
weave,  the  threads  may  be  dampened  and 
pushed  with  a  peg  so  as  to  make  the  work  per- 
fectly regular. 

The  next  step  is  called  the  oblique  weave. 
It  starts  first  from  the  lower  left  corner  and 
goes  over  two  horizontal  threads  and  under  two 
vertical,  which  will  bring  it  out  at  the  corner 
diagonally  opposite  to  the  one  started  from. 
The  sketch  shows  the  effect.  When  these  rows 
are  completed  weave  from  the  lower  right  cor- 
ner to  the  upper  left.  When  all  the  threads 
are  completed  there  remains  but  the  binding 
to  be  done.  Put  one  end  of  binding  cane, 
which  must  be  well  soaked  in  warm  water, 
down  through  a  corner  hole  and  peg  it  well. 


CHAIR  SEATING 


37 


Then  take  a  strip  of  very  fine  cane,  and  thread 
it  up  through  a  hole,  over  the  binding  cane,  and 
down  through  the  same  hole.  This  is  some- 
times called  couching,  and  is  very  important  in 
holding  a  chair  seat  firmly  in  place.  The  proc- 


BINDING  OE  COUCHING. 

ess  in  caning  a  chair  is  exactly  the  same  as  in 
caning  a  frame,  except  that  owing  to  the  ir- 
regular shape  of  most  chair  frames  new  prob- 
lems will  continually  arise  to  add  to  the  inter- 
est of  the  work.  In  the  first  place  it  is  well  to 
try  a  chair  that  is  approximately  square-seated, 
and  it  is  an  excellent  plan  to  have  a  similar  one 
beside  it  for  reference.  The  old  cane  must  first 
be  removed  with  a  sharp  knife,  then  every  hole 
must  be  cleared  out  with  an  awl  or  a  hammer 


38        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

and  nail.  It  is  an  excellent  plan  to  wash  out 
the  holes  with  weak  carbolic,  as  disease  germs 
lurk  in  just  such  places. 

The  cane  used  must  correspond  in  size  to 
that  taken  out.  The  work  must  begin  in  the 
center  as  already  described.  The  steps  are  the 
same  as  in  the  frame,  except  that  at  the  sides 
it  may  be  necessary  to  skip  some  holes  in  order 
to  make  the  rows  an  even  distance  apart.  The 
horizontal  rows  are  put  in  as  usual,  also  the 
over  and  under,  but  in  weaving  the  oblique  rows 
the  lines  must  be  kept  parallel,  and  this  may 
necessitate  putting  two  rows  into  one  hole.  On 
a  round-seated  chair  this  must  be  done  many 
times.  Sometimes  there  are  places  where  it  is 
necessary  to  drive  in  a  wooden  plug  whittling 
it  off  flat,  so  that  it  will  not  interfere  with  the 
binding.  In  many  chairs  the  binding  is  couched 
only  in  every  other  hole,  in  this  case  it  must  be 
put  in  every  hole  at  the  corners,  as  the  security 
of  the  work  depends  largely  on  the  binding. 

Chair-caning  is  an  excellent  physical  exer- 
cise and  calls  in  play  seldom-used  muscles,  but 
the  worker  should  be  warned  against  trying 
to  work  without  a  low  box  or  foot-stool,  and 
keeping  at  it  too  long  at  a  time  until  the 


CHAIR  SEATING  39 

muscles  are  accustomed.  It  is  work  that  gives 
great  satisfaction,  as  care  and  patience  give 
quick  returns,  and  with  a  few  weeks'  practice 
it  is  possible  to  obtain  results  much  superior  to 
those  seen  in  nine-tenths  of  the  chairs  done  by 
"professionals." 

RUSH   SEATING 

The  re-seating  of  old  rush-bottomed  chairs 
is  particularly  interesting  and  also  very  well 
paid,  from  $2.15  to  $2.50  per  seat.  It  requires 
considerable  patience,  both  in  preparing  the 
rushes  and  in  the  actual  weaving,  and  long 
practice  to  get  the  smoothness  attained  by  the 
Colonial  rush  workers,  but  it  is  not  as  tiring 
as  less  sedentary  industries,  for  nearly  all  the 
work  can  be  done  with  the  worker  comfortably 
seated.  It  has  also  the  advantage  of  being  a 
craft  which  can  be  carried  on  in  either  the  city 
or  country ;  as  there  is  a  demand  for  it  every- 
where. The  most  practical  method  of  getting 
orders  is  through  an  arrangement  with  some 
dealer  in  antique  furniture. 

The  rushes  may  be  procured  through  such 
a  dealer,  but  as  they  consist  of  ordinary  cat- 
tail leaves,  it  is  easy  to  procure  them  in  any 


40     '    HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

inland  marsh.  (Cat-tails  growing  near  the 
ocean  are  brittle.)  The  rushes  should  be  gath- 
ered in  early  autumn  as  soon  as  the  tips  begin 
to  turn  yellow,  and  should  be  spread  out 
straight  to  dry,  on  boards  laid  on  the  floor  so 
there  is  a  circulation  of  air  under  them.  If  it 
is  desirable  to  keep  them  green  the  room  should 
be  darkened. 

Before  using,  the  rushes  should  be  soaked  in 
a  long  vessel  like  a  trough  or  a  bathtub,  and  if 
this  leaves  them  too  moist,  they  may  be  run 
through  a  wringer.  Long  fine  strands  should 
be  selected,  two  or  three  being  twisted  together 
to  make  a  coil.  The  twisted  rush  starts  as 


RUSH  SEATING. 


shown  in  the  sketch  from  the  upper  right  cor- 
ner, with  the  end  inside.  The  long  end  is  car- 
ried down  back  of  the  frame,  up,  and  around 


CHAIR  SEATING  41 

the  right  hand  side  of  the  frame  close  to  the 
corner,  and  then  crosses  the  frame  to  the  upper 
left  corner,  where  the  same  process  is  repeated. 
(In  following  these  directions  it  will  be  of  as- 
sistance to  look  at  an  actual  rush  seated  chair 
for  reference. )  The  same  process  goes  on,  new 
strands  being  twisted  in  when  necessary  to 
keep  the  coil  even,  the  ends  left  under  the  seat. 
If  the  chair  seat  is  wider  than  it  is  long,  and 
wider  in  front  than  behind,  some  of  the  strands 
going  from  front  to  back  may  be  split,  and  an 
extra  strand  of  rush  added  to  each  portion  to 
fill  up  the  front  space.  A  few  coils  may  be  car- 
ried from  front  to  back  without  going  across. 
Ends  of  rush  should  be  stuffed  into  the  corners 
to  give  a  slight  cushiony  effect. 

When  the  chair  is  completed,  the  seat  should 
be  gone  over  with  colorless  shellac. 

It  is  a  good  idea  to  try  a  square  frame  eight 
or  nine  inches  across  before  undertaking  a 
chair,  and  raffia  or  very  fine  corn  husks  may 
be  substituted  for  the  rush. 


CHAPTER  III 
NETTING 

Charming  old-time  craft  used  for  all  kinds  of  articles, 

from  pudding  bags  to  window  curtains.     Outdoor  use 

for  hammocks,  tennis  nets,  etc. 
Illustrated  by  photographs  of  netted  fringes,  etc.,  and  by 

sketches  showing  methods  of  working,  and  of  Colonial 

designs. 


Ill 

NETTING 

NETTING  is  one  of  the  most  charming  of  house- 
hold arts  which  our  grandmothers  loved;  for- 
gotten except  in  villages  like  old  Deerfield, 
where  the  excellence  of  handwork  has  always 
been  appreciated.  Netting  was  not  confined 
to  trimmings;  it  was  used  for  every  kind  of 
indoor  article,  from  a  bag  to  hold  the  Christmas 
pudding  to  curtains  for  the  tester  bed.  One 
of  the  best  examples  is  a  dear  little  cap  made 
for  a  new  baby  seventy-five  years  ago.  The 
net  stitch  was  applied  to  all  sorts  of  outdoor 
uses  including  fly  nets  to  protect  the  horse  in 
the  summer,  sacks  to  hold  ears  of  Indian  corn, 
and  little  round  bags  with  long  handles  with 
which  the  small  boy  might  go  crabbing  or  min- 
nowing. 

It  is  curious  that  such  a  useful  art,  for  net- 
ting is  both  durable  and  inexpensive,  should 
have  been  relegated  to  the  fishermen  making 

45 


46        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

or  mending  their  nets,  and  to  the  old  salts, 
making  hammocks  in  the  Sailors'  Snug  Harbor 
while  they  wait  the  call  to  start  on  the  last  voy- 
age. It  is  durable  because  each  stitch  is  per- 
fect in  itself,  and  if  it  breaks  the  web  is  not 
loosened,  and  inexpensive  because  it  requires 
only  cord  or  thread  as  material  and  is  made 
with  only  two  wooden  tools,  both  easily  made 
at  home. 

With  this  article  are  shown  sketches  of  two 
styles  of  needle,  the  larger  one  for  hammocks 
and  all  large  work,  the  smaller  for  lace  and 
fringes.  Hard  wood  should  be  used ;  gumwood 
answers,  and  holly  is  also  very  good ;  three-six- 
teenths of  an  inch  thickness  makes  a  large 
needle.  One-half  of  a  pattern  may  be  drawn 
on  a  piece  of  thick  manilla  paper  (which  has 
been  doubled  and  creased)  and  then  cut  out, 
the  paper  then  being  unfolded  and  pressed  out. 
The  needle  may  be  cut  out  with  a  knife  or 
scroll-saw.  This  ensures  the  two  sides  of  the 
pattern  being  exactly  alike.  The  mesh  stick 
or  block  may  be  of  any  desired  width — one  inch 
is  an  average  size  of  mesh  for  a  hammock  made 
of  seine  cord.  For  finer  work  a  lead  pencil  is 
often  used  for  a  mesh  stick,  but  for  lace,  or 


NETTING  47 

anything  made  with  thread,  an  even  smaller 
size  is  required;  sometimes  in  one  pattern  of 
lace  two  or  three  sizes  of  mesh  are  used,  each 
requiring  a  different  stick. 

The  needles  and  blocks  may  be  procured  for 
about  fifteen  cents  at  any  cord  store.  The 
cord  used  for  hammocks  varies  in  weight;  an 
average  sized  soft  cotton  sells  for  about  twen- 
ty-five cents  a  pound,  and  two  pounds  are  suf- 
ficient. 

There  should  be  provided  also  five  yards  of 
"side-cord"  and  two  large  iron  rings.  The 
materials  for  a  large  hammock  cost  about  fifty 
cents,  so  it  will  readily  be  seen  that  hammock- 
making  is  a  fairly  profitable  industry  for 
women  at  home,  as  a  hand-made  one  never 
brings  less  than  two  dollars,  and  may  be  as 
high  as  three  and  a  half.  The  plain  netting 
may  be  varied  by  the  introduction  of  fancy 
stitches  and  knots. 

The  materials  being  procured,  the  cord 
should  be  wound  into  balls  and  the  needles 
filled  as  shown  in  the  sketch.  The  easiest  way 
to  make  the  top  of  the  hammock  is,  to  my 
mind,  to  put  the  requisite  number  of  stitches  on 
a  cord  stretched  between  two  nails,  as  at  first 


48 


HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 


it  is  easier  to  see  the  meshes  and  avoid  mis- 
takes, working  in  a  horizontal  line.  Forty- 
two  stitches  make  a  good  width  for  a  large 
hammock. 


NETTING. 

The  method  of  using  the  needle  is  shown  in 
one  of  the  sketches  better  than  I  can  explain  it 
in  words,  but  care  must  be  taken  to  draw  up  the 
thread  quickly  and  firmly  so  as  to  avoid  a  slip- 
knot. Great  care  must  also  be  exercised  never 
to  slip  a  knot. 

When  the  first  row  is  finished,  the  mesh 
stick  being  moved  along  so  as  to  keep  it  always 
with  at  least  half  a  dozen  stitches  on  it,  the  end 
loop  is  left  extra  long  and  the  new  row  begun. 
If  necessary,  the  work  may  be  untied  and 
turned  wrong  side  out  so  that  the  worker  may 
always  be  following  from  left  to  right,  but  it 
is  better  to  learn  to  work  either  way. 


TTTFTF.n    FRT1 


NETTING  49 

The  thread  must  be  joined  with  care  when 
the  needle  has  to  be  refilled,  by  lapping  the 
threads  in  the  center  of  the  knot.  When  the 
hammock  seems  a  reasonable  length — six  and 
one-half  feet  is  a  good  size  for  an  adult — the 
ends  should  be  finished  without  cutting  the  cord 


FINISHING  HAMMOCK. 

at  the  last  mesh.  The  hammock  should  be 
laid  on  a  long  table,  so  that  the  end  meshes 
extend  straight  across  it  two  feet  from  the  end. 
A  tack  should  be  driven  under  the  edge  of  the 
table  to  hold  the  ring.  The  needle  should  then 
go  from  the  end  through  the  ring  and  back, 


50        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

then  through  two  meshes,  where  it  is  caught 
with  a  stitch,  then  through  the  ring  again,  and 
back  through  two  more  meshes,  etc.  If  neces- 
sary to  tie  in  a  piece  do  so  with  a  weaver's  knot, 
very  near  the  ring.  The  thread  should  finally 
go  up  to  the  ring,  and  all  the  threads  near 
the  ring  should  be  securely  wound;  a  long 
piece  of  cord,  say  five  yards,  should  be  left 
for  this.  The  "side-cords"  must,  however,  first 
be  put  in  by  lacing  one  through  each  side  of 
the  hammock,  so  that  they  go  through  the 
rings,  and  all  loosely  knotted  around  the  bunch 
of  threads.  The  side-cords  must  be  left  just 
loose  enough  to  hold  the  hammock  taut  with- 
out letting  it  settle  too  much  in  the  middle.  In 
winding  the  ends  the  same  principle  may  be 
used  that  the  sailors  employ  in  splicing  ropes ; 
that  is,  the  remaining  end  must  be  left  so  it  can 
be  pulled  under  the  twist.  To  do  this  the  end 
is  laid  through  a  loop  of  cord  long  enough  so 
the  ends  extend  eight  or  nine  inches  along  the 
threads.  As  the  twist  is  only  six  inches  long 
this  leaves  ends  projecting.  When  the  twist  is 
long  enough  the  end  may  be  put  through  the 
loop,  and  these  ends  pulled  till  the  end  goes  far 
inside  the  twist. 


NETTING  «1 

Both  ends  of  the  hammock  should  be  finished 
this  way,  and  it  will  add  greatly  to  the  effect 
if  the  rings  are  buttonholed  with  cord.  The 
hammock  may  be  decorated  if  desired  with 
little  tassels  tied  into  each  loop  along  the  sides, 
or  by  a  knotted  fringe.  A  more  elaborate  net- 
stitch  is  also  sometimes  used,  with  a  double 
thread. 


*>„ 

KNOTS  USED  IN  TIED  FRINGE  (SOLOMON'S  KNOT). 

Bags  of  various  kinds  to  hold  clothes-pins, 
dust-cloths,  and  other  household  articles,  are 
useful  made  of  the  coarse  cord  used  for  the 
hammock.  To  make  a  string  bag  it  is  neces- 
sary to  have  a  wooden  hoop;  a  pair  of  em- 
broidery hoops  from  the  ten-cent  store  will 
supply  two  bags.  On  this  hoop  the  first  row 
is  knotted,  but  instead  of  ending,  it  goes  on 
around  and  around  till  the  bag  is  as  deep  as 


52        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

required,  when  the  meshes  are  gathered  in  by  a 
string  cord,  or  fastened  into  a  small  brass  ring 
by  a  stitch  similar  to  that  used  in  the  ends  of 
the  hammock. 

Basket-ball  nets  and  some  other  kinds  are 
cylindrical  and  do  not  need  to  be  gathered  in. 


Bow  LINE  KNOT. 

Tennis-nets  are  pleasant  work,  as  the  thread  is 
fastened  to  a  long  side-cord  by  half  stitches 
instead  of  the  side-cord  being  put  in  afterward, 
and  this  stiff  cord  makes  a  firm  foundation  for 
the  stitches. 

In  making  netted  trimmings  and  laces  it  is 
best  to  have  a  little  ivory  needle.     A  small  bone 


NETTING 


53 


paper-cutter  may  be  easily  shaved  into  the  de- 
sired shape  and  sand-papered.  A  small  ivory 
block  is  also  very  satisfactory. 

Linen  thread  makes  very  durable  lace,  but  if 


NETTING  NEEDLES. 

something  less  expensive  is  required  the  coarse 
cotton  used  for  crochet  work  answers  the  pur- 
pose. The  patterns  given  explain  themselves, 
as  they  can  easily  be  adapted  for  various  uses. 
Netted  lace  makes  a  particularly  good  trim- 


NETTED  LOOPS  AND  BORDERS,  USING  LOOPS  FOR  ORNAMENT. 

% 

ming  for  window  curtains,  as  it  is  delicate  and 
lacy  in  effect  without  being  perishable. 
Dresser  sets  ornamented  with  it  are  also  very 
pretty.  Made  in  small  meshes,  with  a  design 


54        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

worked  in,  it  is  sufficiently  heavy  for  table 
linen,  and  is  oftentimes  so  used,  but  it  seems 
to  me  better  adapted  for  more  lace-like  effects, 
where  filminess  rather  than  heaviness  is  de- 
sired. 

Netting  adapts  itself  well  to  dress  trim- 
mings, cuff  and  collar  sets  being  very  pretty. 
The  measure  of  the  wrist  must  be  taken  and 
the  netting  done  round  and  round,  as  in  a  bag, 
the  mesh  being  very  small,  and  any  filling  is 
done  in  flat  rather  than  tufted  work.  The 
ends  of  the  turnover  collar  should  be  finished 
with  loops. 

One  of  the  daintiest  examples  of  netted 
work  I  have  ever  seen  was  the  baby's  cap  al- 
ready mentioned,  made  of  fine  linen  thread, 
with  a  mesh  not  more  than  one-fourth  of  an 
inch  long.  The  start  was  made  around  a  tiny 
button-holed  ring,  and  the  back  made  in  a 
circular  piece  not  more  than  three  inches 
across.  The  front  was  a  strip  about  three 
inches  wide  sewed  on  with  a  little  fulness  to 
this  circular  piece,  for  about  three-quarters  of 
the  way  around.  The  enclosed  sketch  gives 
an  idea  of  a  suitable  design  which  might  be 
carried  out  in  saddlers'  silk  or  knitting  silk, 


CENTER  OF  CHILD'S  CAP. 

OLD  ITALIAN  NETTED  LACE  WITH 

TIED-IN   PATTERN. 


NETTING  55 

as  well  as  in  linen.  All  designs  for  netted 
work  should  be  drawn  on  paper  marked  in 
squares.  Reference  has  already  been  made  to 
the  use  of  the  weaver's  knot  in  fastening 
threads.  It  is  one  of  the  best  methods  of  tying 
a  new  thread  to  a  short  end.  The  Solomon's 
knot  is  most  effective  in  tassels,  a  double  thread 
being  looped  in  the  spot  desired,  thus  leaving 
four  ends. 

The  bow  line  or  bow  string  knot  is  good  for 
putting  up  a  hammock  as  when  pulled  tight  it 
can  not  slip.  In  fact  the  security  of  most 
knots  depends  upon  the  tightness  with  which 
they  are  made. 

Sometimes,  instead  of  using  side-cords  in 
a  hammock,  a  braid  or  twist  of  fine  cord  is 
used.  In  this  case  a  pretty  fancy  twist  is  made 
of  Solomon's  knots  repeated.  It  is  necessary 
to  have  four  very  long  threads  to  start  on, 
at  least  three  times  as  long  as  the  piece  re- 
quired. 

An  old-fashioned  twist  cord  makes  a  good 
side-cord.  A  piece  of  ordinary  hammock  cord 
is  used  for  this,  about  three  times  the  length 
required.  One  person  holds  each  end,  twist- 
ing to  the  right  till  the  cord  is  kinky  the  whole 


56        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

length.  It  is  then  doubled,  from  the  center, 
and  naturally  coils  itself  in  a  perfect  twisted 
cord.  Where  it  is  difficult  to  get  supplies  or 
a  specially  decorative  effect  is  required,  one 
side-cord,  with  a  little  extra  work,  may  be 
used  for  ropes,  side-cords,  and  everything  con- 
nected with  a  hammock. 

Sometimes  colored  cotton  wrapping  cord  is 
used  for  nets.  For  decorative  purposes  Sea 
Island  cotton  answers  well  enough,  but  for 
hammocks  to  be  used  out  of  doors  it  is  not 
very  durable,  and  is  likely  to  fade,  and  crock 
if  it  becomes  damp.  In  fact  plain  white  or 
linen  color  seems  far  the  most  satisfactory  in 
fitness  to  purpose,  but  if  color  is  required  ft 
is  better  to  dye  the  cord  oneself  before  making 
up  with  vegetable  dyes  for  cotton.  The  cord 
must  afterward  be  rinsed  through  many 
waters.  Colors  used  for  carpet  warp  are  gen- 
erally fast,  in  brown  and  gray,  and  if  brighter 
tones  are  required  logwood,  cochineal,  and 
other  old-fashioned  dyes  will  answer  for  dye- 
ing them.  To  my  mind  the  best  color  comes 
from  constant  exposure  to  sun  and  rain  till  the 
cord  takes  on  the  silver  gray  tone  of  an  old 
seine  net. 


CHAPTER  IV 
WEAVING 

Romantic  history  of  weaving. 

Revival  of  interest  in  same.     • 

Fascinating  craft,  allowing  change  of  position  and  va- 
riety of  interest,  possible  for  "shut-in"  workers. 

Method  of  setting  up  loom,  putting  on  warp,  and  starting 
the  weave  described. 

Photographic  illustrations  of  Colonial  looms,  and  sketches 
showing  the  parts  and  how  they  are  used. 

Illustrations  of  coverlid  weaving  by  a  self-taught  weaver, 
and  of  light  weight  loom  suitable  for  convalescents. 

Therapeutic  value  of  weaving. 


IV 

WEAVING 

THE  song  of  the  loom  has  clicked  its  staccato 
music  through  the  primitive  history  of  every 
nation  that  has  taken  part  in  the  early  civiliza- 
tion of  the  world.  Poems  have  been  written, 
ballads  sung  to  it,  music  composed  from  ro- 
mantic memories  of  it.  The  histories  of 
epochs  have  been  woven  thread  by  thread  on 
the  loom,  love  stories  have  been  told  in  its 
pictures,  and  the  gay  and  sad  ways  of  a  people 
remembered.  The  Persian  weaves  his  temple 
in  his  prayer  rug,  and  kneels  at  its  gates  in  his 
own  home.  The  religion  of  the  Chinese  may 
be  read  in  the  rug  under  the  feet  of  the  atheist 
of  to-day.  The  French  court  life  is  portrayed 
in  the  tapestries  of  Aubusson  and  Beauvais,  as 
clearly  as  in  the  paintings  of  Fragonard. 

And  so  it  is  of  no  little  interest  to  know  of 
the  looms  of  the  world,  and  especially  of  our 

59 


60        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

own  western  world.  We  are  proud  of  our 
early  fabrics  and  carpets,  and  we  should  be 
equally  proud  of  the  methods  of  their  produc- 
tion. Not  only  are  we  interested  in  the  loom 
as  a  curiosity,  but  many  women  to-day  taking 
up  weaving  with  interest  are  troubled  only  by 
the  difficulty  of  setting  up  a  loom  and  learn- 
ing to  use  it.  When  we  consider  how  primi- 
tive women  managed  to  produce  fabrics  of 
both  beauty  and  durability  out  of  the  grasses 
and  other  natural  fibers  culled  in  their  neigh- 
borhood, it  seems  as  if  any  modern  worker, 
even  a  "shut-in"  woman,  ought  to  be  able 
to  master  the  problems  arising  in  ordinary 
hand-loom  weaving.  The  processes  are  not 
difficult,  requiring  patience  and  thoroughness 
rather  than  scientific  knowledge.  This  arti- 
cle aims  to  give  a  description  of  the  various 
steps  reduced  to  the  lowest  terms  and  in  not 
too  technical  language. 

The  primitive  loom  used  for  rag  rugs  and 
simple  linen  weaving  is  much  the  same  in  con- 
struction as  those  used  several  hundred  years 
ago.  In  one  of  Giotto's  paintings  of  the  four- 
teenth century  a  loom  is  represented  not  un- 
like those  of  the  present  day.  The  loom  then 


WEAVING  61 

in  use  had  all  the  essential  parts,  and  the  de- 
vices which  have  been  added  were  intended  to 
save  labor,  increase  the  output  of  work,  and 
extend  the  possibilities  of  pattern  weaving. 
Mediaeval  weavers  produced  much  beautiful 
pattern  work.  Some  of  these  designs,  handed 
down  from  one  craftsman  to  another  for  seven 
or  eight  centuries,  remain  to  us  in  the  intricate 
blue  and  white  coverlids  of  Colonial  days;  in 
twills  or  satin  weaves  and  various  bird'seye 
and  other  small  figures  now  used  in  machine 
weaving  for  table  linens  and  silks.  These 
patterns  were  seldom  written  out  by  any  sys- 
tematic method,  but  were  recorded  in  a  kind 
of  weavers'  shorthand  to  be  interpreted  only 
by  another  weaver,  consequently  many  of 
them  were  lost  when  hand  weaving  went  out 
of  fashion.  Notebooks  of  patterns  are  some- 
times still  found  in  old  country  attics. 
Among  the  Southern  mountain  folk  the  tradi- 
tions of  how  to  "set  up"  and  weave  the  old 
designs  have  been  preserved  better  than  else- 
where in  this  country,  so  it  has  been  easier 
there  to  revive  the  coverlid  and  damask  de- 
signs. 

The  Century  Dictionary  defines  a  loom  as 


62        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

"a  machine  in  which  yarn  or  thread  is  woven 
into  a  fabric  by  the  crossing  of  threads  called 
chain  or  warp,  running  lengthwise,  with  others 
called  weft,  woof  or  filling."  The  machine 
consists  of  a  solid  frame-work,  with  a  roller  at 
each  end  over  which  the  warp  threads  are 
stretched,  through  a  series  of  eyelets  called 
heddles,  and  the  interstices  called  dents  in  a 
comb  called  the  reed.  The  frame-work  is 
sometimes  arranged  so  that  the  threads  run 
up  and  down,  as  in  the  Navajo  looms,  but  the 
horizontal  loom  is  more  used  and  easier  to  pro- 
cure and  to  manipulate. 

The  frame  of  the  loom  used  by  country 
weavers  is  generally  about  four  and  a  half  or 
five  feet  high,  four  and  a  half  or  five  feet  wide 
and  six  feet  long.  The  timbers  used  are  of 
hard  wood  five  or  six  inches  square,  and  in  the 
oldest  looms  hewed  out  by  hand  from  hickory 
or  oak,  finished  with  mortise  and  tenon  joints, 
and  keyed  together  with  wooden  pins.  This 
gives  a  stable  construction,  and  in  some  ways 
such  a  loom  is  more  desirable  than  one  of 
smaller  size  which  takes  up  less  room  and 
looks  more  attractive.  The  loom  illustrated 
in  the  large  photograph  came  from  central 


A  TYPICAL  COLONIAL  LOOM. 

1  Yarn  beam.  3  Batten. 

2  Cloth  beam.  4  Heddles. 


WEAVING  63 

New  Hampshire,  where  it  had  lain  in  the  attic 
disused  for  sixty  years.  With  a  few  extra 
pieces  made  by  a  carpenter  and  a  new  set  of 
heddles  it  has  proved  most  satisfactory,  and 
has  been  used  for  about  five  years  by  a  blind 
man. 

Another  of  these  old  looms  called  "Aunt 
Debby,"  over  a  hundred  years  old,  has  proved 
equally  satisfactory.  It  belonged  originally 
to  a  village  weaver,  known  to  her  neighbors  as 
Aunt  Debby.  When  she  died  she  willed  her 
cherished  loom,  her  choicest  possession,  I  al- 
most said  companion,  to  her  minister.  When 
he  was  called  to  another  church  he  left  the 
loom  with  an  old  Englishwoman  who  under- 
stood linen  weaving.  She  called  the  loom 
"Aunt  Debby"  for  its  original  owner,  and 
wove  hundreds  of  yards  of  linen  toweling  and 
sheeting.  But  a  few  years  ago,  in  her  eighty- 
sixth  year,  she  decided  that  her  weaving  days 
were  over,  and  "Aunt  Debby"  traveled  many 
miles  to  a  new  home,  where  she  is  good  for  an- 
other century  of  work  as  helper  to  the  patients 
in  a  sanatorium. 

These  old  looms  are  easily  set  up,  as  the 
parts  are  generally  numbered  to  show  how  they 


64,        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

fit  together.  In  buying  one  it  is  necessary  to 
see  that  no  important  piece  is  lacking.  One 
with  all  essential  parts  can  be  procured  for 
about  twenty-five  dollars. 

It  will  be  observed  that  while  the  essential 
parts  of  the  loom  are  similar,  as  shown  in  the 
accompanying  illustrations,  there  are  slight 
differences  in  detail.  The  harness  or  group  of 
heddles  is  not  always  swung  from  the  top  of 
the  loom  in  the  same  way,  and  the  pedals  or 
treadles  are  attached  sometimes  at  the  front, 
sometimes  at  the  back. 

The  two  beams  or  rollers  must  be  held  in 
slots  at  each  end  of  the  frame  work,  the  front 
or  cloth  beam  must  be  fixed  so  as  to  be  held 
tightly  in  place  by  an  iron  pawl  catching  into 
a  ratchet.  The  back  or  yarn  beam  generally 
has  large  pegs  by  which  it  can  be  turned,  and  a 
heavy  wooden  lever  to  set  it  and  hold  the  warp 
taut.  The  photographs  show  these  two  beams, 
as  Well  as  the  harness  or  heddle  group,  and  in 
front  of  it  the  batten,  which  is  a  swinging 
frame  holding  the  reed,  so  called  because  it  is 
used  to  beat  up  each  row  of  filling  into  a  close 
fabric.  Lathe  or  sley  is  another  name  for  the 
batten. 


WEAVING  65 

THE   OLD   LOOMS 

In  the  very  oldest  looms  the  method  was  that 
of  darning,  the  needle  or  shuttle  was  carried 
over  one  thread  and  under  another.  But  in 
very  early  times  a  method  was  devised  to  hold 
up  a  series  of  alternate  threads.  The  shuttle 
was  then  passed  through,  and  the  arrangement 
of  threads  changed  so  that  the  series  which  had 
been  above  is  now  below ;  this  process  is  called 
shedding.  Back  of  the  heddles  two  sticks  are 
inserted  which  keep  the  crossing  of  the  threads 
perfect.  These  are  called  shed  sticks,  or  lease 
sticks.  The  shed  is  formed  in  a  modern  two- 
heddle  loom  by  drawing  up  alternate  threads 
by  raising  the  heddle  through  which  they  pass. 
This  is  done  by  pressing  the  foot  on  one  pedal, 
lowering  the  corresponding  heddle  which 
causes  the  other  to  raise.  The  warp  leaving 
the  yarn  beam  is  first  threaded  through  the 
heddles,  sometimes  called  healds,  the  group  of 
heddles  is  called  the  harness  or  shaft.  The 
heddles  are  sometimes  made  by  hand  of  string, 
as  in  the  second  illustration  in  which  they  are 
made  of  seine  cord.  Sometimes  they  are  of 
cord  with  a  metal  eye,  and  sometimes  of  brass 


66        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 


or  iron  wire.  The  essential  part  of  the  heddle 
is  the  mail-eye.  The  heddles  set  in  frames  are 
much  the  easiest  for  an  amateur  to  use. 

Directly  in  front  of  the  heddles  is  the  swiiig- 


A  HEDDLE  OR  HEALD  SHOWING  THE  MAIL  EYE. 

ing  batten  or  reed  frame.  Reeds  are  generally 
made  nowadays  of  steel,  but  in  Colonial  days 
they  were  sometimes  made  of  bamboo  or  whale- 


STITCHEE  AND  SHUTTLES. 


bone.  The  warp  is  threaded  through  the  in- 
terstices or  dents  of  the  reed  made  by  thread- 
ing two  threads  in  a  hole  for  six  or  eight  dents. 


WEAVING  67 

A  stretcher  with  nails  at  the  ends  formerly 
called  temple  or  tenterhook,  is  used  to  keep  the 
goods  stretched  across  or  of  uniform  width. 
The  old  expression  to  be  "on  tenterhooks"  pos- 
sibly arose  from  this  connection  with  weaving. 

A  loom  having  been  obtained  and  the  various 
parts  of  the  outer  frame  adjusted,  the  heddles 
and  reed  being  left  till  later,  the  first  step  is 
preparing  and  putting  on  the  warp.  This  is 
frequently  done  even  in  schools  by  a  profes- 
sional weaver,  but  it  is  not  always  convenient  to 
get  one  when  desired.  Another  plan  is  to  have 
the  warp  put  on  the  beam  by  a  professional  be- 
fore the  loom  is  set  up.  It  is,  however,  much 
more  interesting  to  do  as  much  as  possible  one's 
self  and  the  process  of  beaming  the  warp  is  a 
particularly  fascinating  one.  The  making  of  a 
leased  warp  can  also  be  done  by  amateurs,  but 
it  is  wiser  not  to  attempt  this  on  the  first  warp. 
Warping  consists  in  arranging  in  parallel  lines 
as  many  threads  as  are  required  to  weave  the 
desired  width,  and  as  long  as  the  piece  of  goods 
is  to  be.  This  must  be  done  a  few  threads  at 
a  time.  These  threads  must  be  crossed  near 
the  end  so  as  to  make  a  crossing  similar  to  that 
in  the  shed.  A  detailed  description  of  this 


68         HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

process  will  be  given  later  on,  but  the  first  warp 
may  be  procured  ready-made.  The  number 
of  threads  or  "ends"  required  may  be  estimated 
by  multiplying  the  number  of  inches  the  fin- 
ished goods  is  to  be  by  the  dents  in  one  inch  of 
the  reed.  Twelve  threads  to  the  inch  is  an 
average  number  for  rag  weaving.  The  first 
warp  should  be  that  usually  required  in  rag 
weaving.  A  sample  from  a  rag  rug  may  be 
sent  to  the  dealers.  White  or  cream  colored 
warp  is  best  to  begin  with.  In  a  piece  thirty- 
six  inches  wide  with  twelve  threads  to  the  inch, 
432  threads  would  be  required;  allowing  for  a 
few  double  for  the  selvage,  450  ends  is  a  good 
number.  Twenty-five  yards  is  as  much  as  a 
novice  can  handle  easily.  The  wrarp  can  be 
procured  at  wholesale  rates  and  delivered  ex- 
press C.  O.  D.  from  Tinkler  &  Co.,  Philadel- 
phia. It  should  be  stated  in  ordering  that  it  is 
to  be  chained — that  is,  after  the  lease  is  put  in 
the  whole  warp  is  chain-stitched  at  the  factory 
to  avoid  tangling. 

PUTTING  ON  THE   WARP 

The  principle  of  the  crossed  threads  must  be 
observed  in  making  the  warp.     The  crossing 


WEAVING 


69 


in  making  the  warp  is  generally  kept  by  cords, 
and  a  ready-made  warp  comes  from  the  factory 
with  these  threads  firmly  tied  in  place.  These 
must  be  removed  before  the  warp  can  be  spread 
out  on  the  yarn  beam,  and  this  is  where  ama- 
teurs frequently  come  to  grief,  by  taking  out 
the  cords  before  putting  in  lease  sticks  to  hold 
the  cross.  A  very  simple  method  of  procedure 


CROSSED  OR  LEASED  WARP  AS  IT  COMES  FROM  THE  FACTORY. 
TOP  VIEW  AND  SIDE  VIEW. 

is  to  insert  long,  heavy  cords  to  hold  the  cross- 
ing threads.  The  warp  must  be  fastened  se- 
curely to  the  beam  at  the  end  from  which  the 
chain  unlaces  (there  is  sometimes  a  cross  at 
both  ends) .  Some  yarn  beams  are  made  with 
a  long  stick  sunk  in  a  groove,  in  which  case  the 
stick  may  be  slipped  through  all  the  loops  at 
the  end  of  the  warp,  and  put  back  in  the 


70         HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 


groove.  It  is  tied  in  place  in  the  groove  after 
the  warp  is  spread  out  to  the  desired  width. 
The  lease  sticks  may  then  be  easily  put  in 
place,  one  at  a  time.  They  should  be  tied  to- 
gether, or  held  with  large  rubber  bands  to  pre- 
vent their  slipping. 

A  very  useful  device  to  keep  the  warp 
threads  from  tangling  and  make  them  wind 
smoothly  on  the  yarn  beam  is  a  long  wooden 
comb  as  wide  as  the  loom,  called  the  raddle. 


RADDLE. 

With  it  is  sometimes  used  an  upper  piece  which 
prevents  the  threads  from  slipping  over  the  top 
of  the  raddle  teeth.  The  raddle  is  fastened 
securely  across  the  loom  in  a  vertical  position. 
A  very  good  plan  is  to  fasten  it  to  the  upright 
sides  of  the  batten.  A  small  portion  of  warp 
is  then  unwound  from  the  beam,  and  the 
threads  are  distributed  between  the  teeth  of 
the  batten,  care  being  taken  to  keep  them 
straight  from  the  beam  to  a  corresponding 
position  in  the  raddle. 


PUTTING  ON  CHAINED  WARP. 

Note  the  raddle  in  position,  also  the  flat  sticks  under  the  warp  on  the 
beam — used  to  keep  it  from  settling  in. 


WEAVING  Tl 

In  order  to  wind  on  the  warp  smoothly  with- 
out leaving  loose  threads,  it  is  necessary  to  get 
a  very  even  tension.  The  best  way  to  do  this 
is  by  winding  the  chain  of  warp  on  a  drum,  but 
this  often  is  impracticable  for  an  amateur,  and 
the  chain  can  be  held  firmly  enough  in  the 
hands  of  one  worker  while  another  turns  the 
beam  of  the  loom  and  winds  on  as  far  as  the 
warp  threads  are  straight.  The  lease  sticks 
which  have  been  wound  with  the  warp  must 
then  be  worked  back  toward  the  raddle,  care 
being  taken  to  undo  gently  any  little  caught 
places  so  as  not  to  break  the  threads.  This 
plan  of  having  the  raddle  stationary  and  the 
lease  sticks  movable,  gives  an  opportunity  to 
wind  on  about  a  yard  at  a  time.  The  warp  on 
the  beam  should  be  kept  from  settling  in  by 
occasionally  laying  a  stick — a  curtain  stick  an- 
swers the  purpose — along  the  beam  under  the 
warp  which  is  about  to  be  wound  on.  There 
should  be  one  of  these  sticks  to  every  six  or 
seven  yards  of  warp.  The  greatest  difficulty 
which  amateurs  are  likely  to  encounter  is  that 
^occasioned  by  the  chain  coming  undone  so  that 
the  threads  loosen  and  tangle.  Care  should 
be  taken  not  to  loosen  the  chain  for  more  than 


72        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

a  yard  or  two  at  a  time.  A  cord  tied  around 
the  bunch  of  warp  will  prevent  tangling.  If 
a  thread  breaks  the  ends  must  be  tied  at  once 
with  a  weaver's  knot. 

Putting  on,  or  beaming  the  warp,  is  some- 
times called  warping  the  beam.  When  the 
warp  has  been  put  on  smoothly  for  its  entire 
length  with  but  few  knotted  threads,  it  may 
be  said  that  the  multiplication  table  of  home 
weaving  is  mastered. 

ADJUSTMENT  OF   HARNESS  FOR  RAG  RUG 
WEAVING 

For  plain  weaving  two  heddles  are  used. 
The  wire  ones  set  in  frames  are  the  easiest  for 
amateurs  to  manage,  but  string  heddles  with 
or  without  copper  mail-eyes  work  very  well. 
The  number  of  heddles  is  usually  rather  greater 
than  that  of  the  warp  threads  or  ends;  half 
should  be  on  each  frame.  The  heddle  frames 
are  suspended  from  a  horizontal  beam  crossing 
the  top  of  the  loom ;  usually  there  is  a  cord  ar- 
rangement sliding  on  a  pulley  at  each  end  of 
this  beam,  which  allows  one  heddle  to  go  up 
while  the  other  goes  down.  In  threading  the 
heddle  eyes  it  is  necessary  to  know  the  number 


WEAVING  73 

of  eyes  in  each  frame,  and  find  the  middle  eye 
of  each  frame.  The  warp  must  also  be 
counted  and  the  threading  must  begin  from  the 
center  thread.  A  small  hook,  called  a  warp 
hook,  is  inserted  through  the  center  eye  in  the 
front  frame  and  the  middle  thread  caught  on 
it  and  pulled  through.  The  next  thread  to  the 
right  is  then  threaded  through  the  eye  next  to 
the  right  in  the  back  frame — and  this  process 
is  continued  across  the  loom,  taking  each  thread 
in  succession.  The  work  should  be  watched 
closely,  as  it  is  very  easy  to  take  two  front  or 
two  back  heddles  in  succession.  The  ends 
should  be  tied  in  small  bunches  in  front  of  the 
heddles  to  avoid  pulling  backwards  and  un- 
threading. The  last  eight  or  ten  ends  may  be 
threaded  two  together  to  form  a  selvage.  The 
left  side  should  then  be  threaded,  starting  from 
the  middle.  The  mistake  to  be  avoided  is  that 
of  threads  crossing  in  the  heddles.  These  may 
be  discovered  by  pushing  down  the  front  frame 
and  looking  through  the  shed,  then  pushing 
down  the  back  frame.  There  should  be  a  clear 
opening  across  the  loom,  but  if  there  is  a  thread 
in  this  space  a  cross  is  indicated,  and  the  heddles 
must  be  re-threaded  to  correct  it;  sometimes 


74        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

two  threads  only  require  re-threading.  Be- 
fore the  ends  are  threaded  through  the  reed  it 
is  well  to  examine  the  heddles  straight  across 
the  loom  to  see  if  there  are  any  errors.  It  is 
often  necessary  for  a  beginner  to  do  consider- 
able re-threading,  or  pulling  in. 

The  batten  is  in  front  of  the  heddle  and  is  a 
swinging  frame  containing  the  reed.  The 
ends  of  the  warp  must  be  threaded  from  the 
middle  hole  or  dent  of  the  reed  and  go  straight 
from  the  center  of  the  heddles  to  the  center  of 
the  reed.  The  threading  should  be  done  with 
the  warp  hook. 

When  the  reed  is  threaded,  and  the  ends  tied 
to  prevent  their  coming  out,  the  harness  must 
be  carefully  adjusted  so  that  the  threads  will 
run  horizontally  from  the  back  beam  through 
the  heddles  and  reed  to  the  front  beam.  The 
heddle  frames  are  attached  to  the  treadles  in  a 
way  to  give  a  perfect  balance,  as  shown  in  the 
photographs.  The  batten  must  swing  freely, 
without  striking  the  heddles  or  the  front  beam. 
This  may  mean  careful  adjustment. 

Generally  on  the  front  beam  there  is  a  series 
of  cords  to  which  the  ends  of  the  warp  are  to  be 
tied,  with  the  knot  shown  in  the  sketch,  or  there 


PUTTING  ON  NEW  WARP  WITHOUT  RE-THREADING  THE 

HEDDLES. 

After  the  new  warp  is  on  the  beam  each  new  end  is  tied  to  a  correspond- 
ing old  end. 


WEAVING  75 

may  be  a  rod  run  through  a  piece  of  strong 
drilling  called  an  apron  to  which  the  ends  are 
tied.  Before  describing  the  actual  process  of 
weaving  it  may  be  stated  that  after  the  loom  is 
once  threaded  it  is  not  necessary  to  re-thread 
the  harness  for  every  new  length  of  warp. 


TYING  ENDS  OF  WARP  AT  CLOTH  BEAM  END. 

When  the  warp  is  woven  nearly  to  the  end,  in- 
stead of  pulling  out  the  threads  it  is  better  to 
tie  them  securely  in  small  bunches  in  front  of 
the  reed  and  behind  the  heddles,  so  they  cannot 
slip  through.  After  the  new  chain  of  warp  is 
put  on,  the  new  ends  may  be  tied  one  by  one 
with  a  weaver's  knot  to  the  old  ends. 

STARTING  THE  WEAVING 

It  will  be  found  that  the  harness  needs  con- 
siderable adjusting  before  it  works  perfectly. 


76        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

The  heddle  must  be  hung  so  as  to  allow  a  wide 
shed.  Sometimes  threads  have  to  be  retied,  as 
one  loose  thread  destroys  the  perfection  of  the 
web.  The  shed  is  formed  by  pressing  the  foot 
on  one  treadle,  and  in  order  to  keep  the  weav- 
ing even,  a  long  lease  stick  is  slid  in  the  space 
across  the  loom.  The  shed  is  changed  by 
pressing  down  the  other  treadle.  (The 
treadles  must  be  carefully  adjusted  so  as  not 
to  strike  the  floor.) 

It  is  well  to  begin  the  weaving  with  a  head- 
ing of  cord.  The  shuttle  may  be  filled  with 
twine  or  warp  thread.  This  allows  any  defects 
in  the  threading  of  the  loom  to  become  very 
apparent. 

When  the  shuttle  is  filled  a  shed  is  formed  by 
pressing  the  foot  on  the  right  hand  treadle,  and 
the  batten  is  pushed  back  toward  the  heddles 
with  the  left  hand.  The  shuttle  is  thrown 
with  the  right  hand  as  near  as  possible  to  the 
reed.  The  thread  should  not  be  pulled  tight 
at  the  selvage.  The  row  of  weaving  is  then 
beat  up  toward  the  front  of  the  loom  by  swing- 
ing the  batten  forward.  The  shed  is  then 
changed  by  pressing  down  the  other  treadle, 
and  the  shuttle  is  thrown  through  from  the  left 


WEAVING  77 

hand  side.  After  about  an  inch  of  heading  is 
completed  it  is  easy  to  see  if  there  are  any 
threads  to  be  corrected  in  the  warp,  and  this 
may  be  done.  If  not,  the  weaving  may  be  con- 
tinued with  whatever  filling  is  desired.  The 
photograph  of  Blind  Tom  weaving  shows  how 
the  shed  should  look,  and  the  shuttle  ready  to 
throw  from  right  to  left. 

Many  weavers  nowadays  use  only  new  ma- 
terials, long  strips  of  denim,  of  figured  chintz 
or  outing  flannel,  producing  fabrics  of  great 
beauty.  But  for  those  who  prefer  the  method 
of  the  olden  time  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  give 
a  description  of  how  to  use  old  materials.  The 
great  point  is  to  have  the  rags  cut  evenly  and 
to  make  them  of  a  width  to  "beat  up"  to  the 
same  thickness  in  weaving — that  is,  a  strip  of 
muslin  should  be  cut  much  wider  than  a  strip 
of  calico.  Hit  and  miss  rugs  in  soft  colors  are 
always  useful  in  a  bathroom.  And  if  the  fill- 
ing material  is  old  it  will  not  fade  any  more. 

The  weight  of  the  rug  must  be  sufficient  to 
hold  it  straight  on  the  floor;  two  and  one-half 
pounds  of  rags  to  the  square  yard  is  a  good 
proportion — that  is,  five  or  six  yards  of  denim 
or  outing  flannel.  The  rag  strips  should  be 


78        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

well  sewed  together.  As  the  weaver  becomes 
expert  the  ends  may  be  overlapped  without 
sewing  if  desired.  The  rug  may  be  varied  by 
introducing  bands  of  color  or  by  using  two 
shuttles  alternately,  letting  several  colors  run 
"hit-and-miss." 

The  beginner  will  have  difficulty  in  taking 
out  the  work  and  it  is  much  better  to  weave  a 
series  of  pieces  one  after  the  other,  leaving  six 
inches  of  warp  between,  and  weaving  a  cord 
heading  at  each  end  of  each  piece.  The  pieces 
when  taken  out  should  be  finished  with  fringe 
made  by  tying  the  ends  of  warp. 

The  question  of  coloring  materials  often 
comes  up.  It  is  very  easy  to  wind  the  balls  of 
rags  in  skeins  and  dip  the  skeins  in  a  dye  both 
green,  blue  or  brown.  If  the  balls  are  of  hit 
and  miss  this  will  give  a  shaded  effect  which  is 
very  good,  and  this  method  allows  rugs  to  be 
woven  to  match  the  color  scheme  of  certain 
rooms. 

PATTERN   WEAVING 

After  the  amateur  weaver  has  become  pro- 
ficient in  making  rag  rugs  or  portieres  it  is  in- 
teresting to  try  something  more  elaborate. 


THE  SAME   WEAVER  AFTER  A  YEAR'S  TIME. 

During  which  she  had  studied  out  five  coverlid  designs. 


WEAVING  79 

For  pattern  weaving  harness  may  be  increased 
by  the  addition  of  one,  two  or  three  heddles. 
The  weaving  of  coverlids  is  an  intricate  proc- 
ess, but  it  can  be  successfully  mastered  by  an 
amateur  as  is  proven  by  these  two  photographs 
of  a  self-taught  weaver  in  her  summer  home  in 
New  Hampshire. 

Eliza  Calvert  Hall's  Coverlid  Book  shows 
many  lovely  designs  with  their  quaint  names, 
"Governor's  Garden,"  "Lee's  Surrender," 
"Bachelor's  Fancy,"  etc.  It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  when  such  weaving  was  in  vogue  it 
was  taught  to  the  prisoners  in  the  State  Prison 
of  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  with  great  success,  and 
many  "prison  coverlids"  are  still  in  use  in  north- 
ern New  York.  For  those  who  need  to  start 
weaving  with  less  strenuous  work  a  small  light 
loom  is  illustrated,  especially  recommended  by 
physicians  for  the  use  of  neurasthenics.  It  is 
well  adapted  for  the  weaving  of  "laid-in  pat- 
terns." 

The  interest  in  hand  weaving  seems  steadily 
on  the  increase.  The  desire  for  its  beauty  in 
our  homes  and  the  value  of  it  in  educational  in- 
stitutions has  brought  about  a  decided  revival 
of  this  most  significant  craft.  It  has  proven 


80        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

valuable  in  institutions  for  the  deaf  and  dumb, 
and  the  State  Hospitals  for  the  Insane.  Very 
elaborate  and  beautiful  pattern  weaving  is  be- 
ing done  in  the  Lighthouse,  the  School  for  the 
Blind,  in  New  York  City,  and  at  Devereux 
Mansion,  Marblehead,  Massachusetts.  For 
those  beginning  weaving  who  feel  themselves 
unable  to  cope  with  the  problems  of  setting  up 
a  loom  and  putting  on  the  warp,  it  may  be  in- 
teresting to  note  that  excellent  light-weight 
looms  may  be  bought  ready  threaded  at  Dev- 
ereux Mansion,  Marblehead,  Massachusetts. 


A  LIGHT  WEIGHT  LOOM 

Recommended  by  physicians  for  the  use  of  convalescents.    It  is  especially 
good  for  weaving  bags,   hat-bands,   etc. 


CHAPTER  V 
BOOKBINDING 

A  lucrative  craft  which  may  be  carried  on  individually,  or 
cooperatively  as  in  schools  for  cripples  in  Scandinavia. 

a.  Albums,  portfolios,  guest  books,  etc. 
Apparatus  needed,  and  steps  in  working. 
Illustrations  of  processes  and  appliances. 

b.  Rebinding  old  books. 

A  special  industry  in  itself. 

Methods  of  procedure. 

Illustrations  of  sewing  frame,  press,  etc.,  and  various 

processes  employed  in  covering  a  full-bound  book. 


BOOKBINDING 

THOSE  wonderful  volumes  owned  by  Kings  and 
Ecclesiastical  Potentates,  requiring  months  of 
patient  labor,  may  be  paralleled  to-day  by 
workers  who  have  the  triple  requisites  of 
money,  time,  and  strength.  Great  libraries 
are  still  in  existence  which  demand  this  exqui- 
site craftsmanship  in  new  work  and  in  the  re- 
pairing and  preserving  of  precious  volumes. 
There  is  no  better  field  for  the  worker  who  loves 
intricate  and  laborious  crafts. 

But  there  is  also  an  opportunity  for  the 
craftsman  who  has  less  capital  and  less 
strength,  in  the  binding  of  music,  the  rebinding 
of  old  books  by  hand,  and  the  making  of  al- 
bums and  guest  books.  Such  work  is  inter- 
esting and  can  be  done  at  home,  it  is  well  paid, 
and  affords  great  scope  for  exquisite  delicacy 
of  workmanship. 


84         HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

When  it  is  done  on  a  large  scale,  as  in  Scandi- 
navia, where  it  is  a  feature  of  the  schools  for 
cripples,  it  is  an  excellent  cooperative  industry. 

In  such  a  case,  large  presses,  *  "guillotines" 
to  cut  the  edges  of  sheets,  and  other  machines 
are  required,  and  frequently  printing  and  book- 
binding are  combined  so  that  large  contracts — 
as  for  example,  government  reports  in  Den- 
mark— can  be  executed. 

The  directions  given  are  for  individual  work, 
and  the  list  of  tools  and  materials  is  kept  as 
simple  and  inexpensive  as  possible,  but  it  is 
safe  to  say  that  work  done  on  a  larger  scale 
would  stand  a  fair  show  of  success. 

ALBUMS,   PORTFOLIOS  AND  GUEST  BOOKS 

The  question  of  color  harmony  enters  so 
largely  into  our  furnishings  to-day  that  we  are 
often  impelled  to  try  to  manufacture  in  the 
home  workshop  articles  of  daily  use  which  we 
have  failed  to  procure  ready  made.  Fitness 
of  material  is  also  an  important  part  of  this 
problem  of  making  a  room  harmoniously  beau- 
tiful, and  this  applies  even  to  the  bindings  of 
the  books,  which  in  a  general  living  room 
should  share  the  character  of  the  rest  of  the 


BOOKBINDING  85 

furniture.  In  a  library  there  may  be  scope  for 
elaborate  and  fanciful  bindings,  but  books  like 
guest  books  and  albums  which  are  used  in  a 
living  room  should  be  not  only  durable  but 
simple  and  sturdy  in  effect.  Albums  espe- 
cially should  be  built  to  endure  the  hard  knocks 
of  family  life,  for  in  these  days  of  kodaks  they 
hold  the  record  of  many  a  holiday  and  are  fre- 
quently referred  to.  For  this  reason  home- 
made albums  are  preferable,  for  each  of  the 
parts  may  be  chosen  for  some  special  quality: 
strong  hand-made  paper  of  a  dull  gray  or 
brown  for  the  leaves,  cowhide  or  sheepskin  for 
the  cover,  and  the  coloring  of  the  whole  selected 
with  a  thought  as  to  the  style  of  photographic 
paper  the  family  kodak  fiend  affects,  a  brown 
color  scheme  for  sepia  prints,  blue-gray  with 
gray-brown  covers  for  black  and  white.  If 
more  vivid  color  is  desired  there  is  a  certain 
leather  prepared  with  vegetable  dye  called 
Niger  Morocco,  to  be  had  in  a  dull  red  which 
deepens  with  age. 

The  making  of  an  album  is  a  task  which  re- 
quires no  great  skill,  although  patience  and 
accuracy  are  essential.  Let  the  would-be 
binder  investigate  the  family  workshop  and  see 


86        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

that  he  has  in  hand  the  following:  a  hard  pen- 
cil; a  ruler  with  a  metal  edge;  two  pairs  of 
dividers,  both  large  and  small;  a  carpenter's 
try  square ;  an  awl ;  a  large  paste  brush ;  a  glue 
pot  and  brush ;  a  couple  of  good  smooth  boards. 
There  are  also  necessary  some  drawing  instru- 
ments, a  T-square  and  triangles,  and  a  few 
special  book-binder's  tools,  an  ivory  paper 
knife,  called  technically  a  bone  folder,  a  paring 
knife  for  leather,  a  small  letter  press,  a  finish- 
ing press,  backing  boards  and  a  backing  ham- 
mer. This  small  outfit,  although  it  seems  to 
contain  so  many  articles,  may  be  bought  for  a 
few  dollars.  For  more  advanced  work  a  sew- 
ing frame  is  also  essential. 

In  the  way  of  materials,  a  few  sheets  must 
be  procured  of  bookboards  of  various  styles, 
strawboard,  a  finer  style  for  delicate  work,  and 
a  few  sheets  of  paper  of  the  desired  color. 
Half  a  dozen  sheets  of  charcoal  paper  make  a 
good-sized  album.  Two  sheets  of  a  mottled 
paper  called  Morris  or  Oxford  make  pretty  end 
papers,  and  the  coloring  may  harmonize  with 
that  of  the  leaves.  A  quantity  of  cheap  un- 
printed  newspaper  sheets  should  be  kept  on 
hand  to  cover  delicate  work;  there  should  also 


BOOKBINDING 


87 


be  at  least  two  sets  of  smooth  tins  and  a  yard 
of  coarse  book  linen. 

The  album  is  best  made  with  flexible  covers, 
and  should  be  made  all  in  one  section,  that  is, 
one  set  of  leaves  folded  one  inside  another. 
Six  sheets  of  paper  will  be  ample. 

Take  one  sheet  and  lay  it  out  on  a  large  flat 
board.  Divide  the  left  edge  into  three  equal 


FOLDING  SHEETS  FOR  ALBUM. 

parts  and  draw  lines  across  at  right  angles  to 
the  left  edge.  Find  the  center  of  the  top  edge 
and  draw  a  line  down  exactly  at  right  angles 
to  the  cross  lines.  Mark  corners  with  Xs  as 
shown  in  the  drawing.  Cut  the  cross  lines  with 
a  sharp  knife  held  against  the  edge  of  a  metal 
rule,  and  fold  each  piece  very  carefully  on  the 
up  and  down  line,  so  that  the  upper  edges  ex- 


88        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

actly  coincide.  Cut  and  fold  each  sheet  in  the 
same  way.  This  gives  eighteen  sheets,  two  of 
which  may  be  made  into  end  papers.  Cut  a 
piece  of  Morris  paper  the  size  of  each  of  the 
two  sheets.  Lay  them  figured  side  down  on  a 
clean  sheet  of  paper.  Dip  a  large  paste  brush 
into  flour  paste  which  has  been  strained  smooth, 
and  cover  every  part  of  the  paper,  holding  it 
in  the  center  with  the  thumb  and  fore-finger. 
Lay  the  charcoal  paper  on  the  Morris  paper, 
lay  a  clean  paper  over  and  rub  down  with  the 
bone  folder.  Do  each  end  paper  the  same  way, 
and  put  them  to  press  between  tins  covered 
with  clean  papers. 

When  they  are  perfectly  dry  take  out  of  the 
press  and  fold,  figured  side  in.  Rub  down  the 
creases  with  the  bone  folder.  Cut  a  piece  of 
book  linen  one  and  one-half  inches  wide  and 
the  length  of  the  fold  just  made.  Paste  this 
and  lay  the  two  end  papers  on  it  about  one- 
sixteenth  of  an  inch  apart.  Press  till  dry,  and 
fold  around  the  other  sheets,  with  the  book 
linen  out,  as  it  will  come  between  the  book  and 
the  cover.  Press  the  book  thoroughly,  and 
knock  it  up,  holding  it  between  the  two  hands 
and  tapping  the  head  or  top  on  a  horizontal 


BOOKBINDING 


surface.  Next  place  the  book  on  a  stone  and 
lay  a  try  square  across  the  head  as  shown  in 
the  sketch,  being  careful  that  the  try  square  is 
exactly  perpendicular  to  the  back  of  the  book. 
This  is  all  the  cutting  of  edges  necessary  in 
an  album,  so  the  next  step,  after  the  book  has 


END  PAPEE  WITH  LINEN. 


CUTTING  HEAD  OR  TOP  OF  BOOK. 

been  well  pressed,  is  sewing.  This  should  be 
done  with  embroidery  silk,  of  a  color  to  blend 
with  the  book,  or  contrast  with  it.  Orange  silk 
is  effective  in  a  brown  album.  The  stitches 
should  be  an  inch  apart,  and  holes  should  be 
pricked  through  pencil  marks  laid  off  with  a 
rule  before  any  stitches  are  taken.  Begin  in- 


90        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

side,  leaving  a  thread  an  inch  long.  The 
stitches  go  over  and  under,  from  top  to  bottom, 
returning  in  the  same  holes  with  an  effect  like 
back-stitching.  When  the  top  has  been  reached 
tie  the  ends  of  silk  in  a  flat  knot,  cut  about  two 
inches  long  and  fray  out  the  ends. 

A  flexible  cover  is  suitable  for  an  album,  but 
it  is  necessary  to  have  inside  the  cover  a  light 
book  board  to  make  the  leather  lie  flat.  The 
boards  should  be  the  exact  size  of  the  leaves  and 
pasted  to  the  end  papers,  with  paste  in  which  a 
little  glue  has  been  stirred.  Tins  should  then 
be  placed  between  the  end  papers  and  the  first 
sheet  of  the  book,  and  the  book  put  in  press. 
To  make  the  pattern  for  the  leather,  which 
should  be  made  to  project  one-half  inch  beyond 
the  leaves  of  the  book,  place  the  book,  back 
down,  on  a  large  piece  of  manilla  paper  and 
draw  around  the  back,  then  tip  the  book  to  the 
right  side  and  draw  around  it;  same  with  the 
left.  Remove  the  book  and  correct  these  lines 
with  the  ruler,  and  draw  another  set  one-half 
inch  outside  these.  The  leather  may  then  be 
cut  by  this  pattern,  the  lines  being  drawn 
on  the  wrong  side  to  correspond  with  those  of 
the  pattern.  The  leather  should  be  pasted  in 


BOOKBINDING 


t 

91 


place,  the  paste  being  applied  to  the  boards  and 
back  of  the  book,  and  the  leather  quickly  folded 
in  place.  Clean  paper  should  then  be  laid  over, 
and  the  bone  folder  used  to  rub  down  the  back 
and  sides  until  every  particle  of  leather  is  stuck. 


PRICKING  HOLES.    METHOD  OF  SEWING. 

The  book  may  then  be  put  under  slight  pres- 
sure till  dry. 

The  last  step  is  lacing  the  back  with  thongs. 
Holes  should  be  made  with  an  awl  about  one 
inch  apart,  and  the  thongs  of  leather  run 
through  in  cobbler's  stitch  as  shown  in  the 
sketch;  the  ends  being  tied  in  the  middle. 


HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 


A  guest  book  is  almost  as  simple  of  construc- 
tion, except  that  it  should  be  made  of  several 
sections  of  any  desired  size,  and  sewed  on  tapes 
to  allow  of  free  opening.  Charcoal  paper  and 
smooth,  thin  water  color  paper  are  both  good 


-</•* 

/:•':/> 


COBBLER'S  STITCH.    COMPLETED  ALBUM. 

materials  and,  if  the  paper  is  folded  twice,  that 
is,  cut  in  half  and  each  half  cut  in  half,  a  good 
size  is  obtained.  Each  section  should  be  pre- 
pared as  described  above  and  the  end  papers 
made  and  lined  as  in  the  album;  but  each  end 
paper  should  have,  instead  of  a  piece  of  book 


BOOKBINDING  93 

linen,  a  guard  of  thin  strong  paper  wide  enough 
to  fold  one  over  the  first  section  and  the  other 
over  the  last  section.  These  being  put  in  posi- 
tion the  book  must  be  carefully  knocked  up 
and  put  in  press  between  boards  as  shown  in 
the  sketch,  with  the  head  and  back  vertical. 
It  should  be  under  heavy  pressure  over  night. 
A  better  style  of  end  paper,  too  elaborate  to 
be  described  here,  may  be  found  in  Douglas 
CockerelFs  book  on  Binding. 


BOOK  IN  PRESS. 


In  sewing  a  book  there  are  certain  stitches 
called  kettle  stitches,  taken  about  half  an 
inch  apart  from  each  end,  and  lines  must  be 
drawn  for  these  with  the  try  square  exactly 
perpendicular.  Then  the  space  between  may 
be  divided  up  in  tapes,  five  equal  spaces  if  four 
tapes  are  to  be  used.  Lines  must  be  drawn 
across  with  a  soft  pencil,  and  on  each  side  of 
each  of  these  another  heavy  line  half  the  width 
of  the  tape  away.  These  lines  should  all  be 


94        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

made  very  distinct,  and  it  is  well  to  saw  in  the 
lines  for  the  kettle  stitch  with  a  back  saw,  about 
one-sixteenth  of  an  inch.  The  other  marks 
should  be  pricked  through  in  each  section.  The 
sewing  always  begins  with  the  end  paper,  and  a 
long  thread  of  embroidery  silk  should  be  used, 
with  the  end  tied  to  a  tack  in  the  table,  so  that 
it  will  not  pull  through  into  the  book.  The 


thread  goes  through  the  right-hand  kettle  stitch 
hole,  through  the  end  paper  and  first  section 
and  comes  out  of  the  hole  at  the  right  side  of  the 
first  tape,  crossing  the  tape  and  going  in  at  the 
other  side,  and  so  on  till  the  last  hole  is  reached, 
when  the  second  section  is  laid  on  the  first  and 
the  thread  goes  into  the  hole  just  above,  as 
shown  in  the  sketches.  Every  three  or  four 
sections  a  buttonhole  stitch  is  made  catching 
the  threads  in  each  tape.  The  ends  of  the 


BOOKBINDING  95 

thread  must  be  tied  with  a  weaver's  knot.  The 
sewing  complete,  the  last  thread  is  secured  with 
a  triple  kettle  stitch,  and  the  first  end  untied 
and  secured  in  the  same  way. 

Rounding  is  an  important  process,  as  it  gives 
shape  and  style  to  the  volume.  The  back  of 
the  book  should  be  soaked  with  glue,  which  is 
allowed  to  nearly  dry,  the  book  is  placed  on  a 
table,  and  the  top  pressed  forward  with  the 


BACKING. 

palm  of  the  hand.  The  back  is  then  tapped 
with  a  backing  hammer.  The  book  is  then  re- 
versed, and  the  other  side  of  the  back  rounded. 
Backing  makes  the  rounding  perfectly  solid. 
To  back  the  book  it  must  be  put  in  a  press, 
with  the  backing  irons  placed  the  thickness  of 
the  boards  below  the  edge,  as  shown  in  the 
sketch.  The  edges  are  tapped  with  the  back- 
ing hammer  so  they  form  a  joint  the  thickness 


96        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

of  the  coverboard,  as  shown  in  the  end  view. 
The  whole  back  is  then  tapped  until  it  is  solid, 
a  strong  wrist  blow  being  used. 


BACKING — BOOK  IN  PRESS. 

The  book  must  be  allowed  to  dry,  and  thin 
boards  may  then  be  pasted  on,  with  Vs  °f  an 
inch  of  space  between  the  joint  and  the  board. 
These  should  be  glued  in  place  as  in  the  album, 
and  if  the  tapes  are  thin,  they  may  be  glued  to 
the  boards  and  the  leather  put  directly  over, 
but  generally  an  extra  paper  or  thin  board  is 
necessary.  The  leather  cover  may  then  be  put 
on  with  projecting  edges  as  in  the  album. 

A  word  on  the  subject  of  portfolios  may  not 
come  amiss.  The  size  and  proportion  being 
decided,  the  number  of  pockets  should  be  con- 


BOOKBINDING  97 

sidered.  A  very  practical  style  is  made  of  a 
whole  calfskin,  the  pockets  being  formed  inside 
the  covers,  by  folding  the  skin,  as  shown  in  the 
sketch,  and  the  top  and  bottom  being  laced 
with  thongs,  which  also  form  ends  to  tie  at  the 
front.  The  center  of  the  back  should  be  stif- 
fened by  putting  on  an  extra  piece  of  leather 
extending  inside  the  pocket.  The  opposite 
side  should  be  cut  away  so  as  to  form  a  writing 
pad  in  which  blotting  paper  may  be  inserted. 
Another  portfolio  is  intended  especially  to 
hold  sketches,  which  are  often  too  long  to  go  in 
the  pockets  of  the  ordinary  size.  It  is  made  of 
calf  or  sheepskin,  lined  with  a  thinner  leather, 
the  two  parts  sewed  together  all  around  with 
cobbler's  stitch,  shown  in  a  cut.  An  extra 
piece  of  thicker  leather  stiffens  the  back. 
When  the  sewing  is  completed  slits  are  cut 
with  a  sharp  knife  through  which  leather 
straps  are  run,  forming  on  the  inside  the 
equivalent  of  a  pocket  for  long  narrow  sketches 
which  may  be  slipped  inside  the  strap.  If  de- 
sired, the  latter  may  be  finished  with  buckles. 

Blank  books,  with  perforated  pages  to  be 
removed  at  convenience,  telephone  books,  al- 
manac pads  and  many  other  small  articles  may 


98         HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

be  made  with  the  tools  used  in  book-binding. 
The  tools  referred  to  in  this  paper  are  com- 


:7^  w^^WwS^^ 

:~ 


PORTFOLIO — VIEWS  OF  OUTSIDE  AND  INSIDE. 

paratively  inexpensive — leather  is  usually  dear 
if  of  good  quality,  but  need  only  be  bought  as 


BOOKBINDING  99 

required.  It  is,  however,  much  easier  to  ma- 
nipulate than  any  form  of  cover  paper,  book- 
linen  or  other  substitute. 

A  short  description  follows  of 

THE  REBINDING  OF  OLD  BOOKS 

Most  of  the  books  nowadays  are  not  bound 
at  all,  they  are  merely  cased,  and  that  in  such 
a  way  that  the  covers  pull  off  after  a  little  wear 
and  the  leaves  are  injured  by  deep  saw  cuts,  or 
wire  threads  holding  the  sections.  But  as 
often  these  poorly  bound  books  are  printed  on 
good  paper,  or  have  some  association  which 
makes  them  worthy  of  preservation  the  rebind- 
ing  of  them  is  worth  considering,  and  is  often 
developed  into  a  lucrative  craft.  This  is  espe- 
cially true  in  small  towns,  where  the  public  li- 
brary may  give  an  opportunity  for  keeping 
books  in  repair.  Binding  music  and  rebinding 
old  music  books  are  also  remunerative. 

If  an  old  book  is  to  be  rebound  it  should  be 
looked  over  carefully  to  see  that  no  pages  are 
missing,  and  any  torn  places  should  be  mended 
as  described  in  the  paragraph  on  mending. 
Each  sheet  should  then  be  registered,  that  is, 
held  to  the  light  to  see  if  the  printing  on  the 


100       HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

upper  right  corner  of  the  first  page  coincides 
with  that  on  the  third,  if  not,  it  should  be 
refolded  so  that  it  does,  and  the  new  crease 
rubbed  down  on  glass  with  a  bone  folder. 
Each  sheet  should  be  corrected  and  put  in 
its  place,  so  that  the  pages  read  correctly. 
The  next  step  is  to  cut  the  top,  commonly 
called  by  binders  the  "head,"  the  bottom 
being  called  the  "tail"  and  the  front  the 
"fore-edge."  Probably  you  may  have  ob- 
served that  in  many  books  the  margins  are  un- 
equal in  different  sheets.  It  is  a  distinct  im- 
provement to  cut  them  so  that  every  head- 
space  corresponds.  To  do  this,  a  pair  of 
dividers  must  be  very  carefully  set  to  the  dis- 
tance from  the  top  of  the  printing  to  the  top  of 
the  paper  in  the  sheet  which  seems  to  be  the 
shortest.  Generally  a  section  of  eight  leaves 
can  be  taken  at  once.  Two  little  marks  are 
made  with  the  dividers,  and  a  try-square  is  laid 
across  these,  the  handle-side  resting  against 
the  back  of  the  book.  The  upper  edge  of  the 
try-square  is  then  followed  along  with  a  sharp 
knife,  a  potato-knife  or  pen-knife  will  answer, 
on  a  piece  of  glass.  Each  section  should  be 
cut  in  this  way,  or  if  the  sheets  seem  fairly  uni- 


BOOKBINDING  1<01 

form,  possibly  it  may  be  enough  to  cut  each 
section.  This  provides  a  "head"  which  is  ex- 
act enough  to  be  used  in  "knocking  up"  the 
book.  This  is  done  by  holding  it  so  it  is  ver- 
tical, head  down,  between  the  palms  of  the  two 
hands,  and  knocking  it  against  a  perfectly  hori- 
zontal surface,  a  piece  of  glass  or  a  paring- 
stone.  Knocking  up  is  a  very  important 
process  and  must  be  repeated  at  nearly  every 
stage  in  the  work. 

End  papers,  or  what  are  sometimes  called 
the  "fly-leaves"  of  a  book,  are  important  and 
should  always  be  of  paper  similar  to  that  of  the 
book,  and  used  so  the  grain  of  the  paper  runs 
lengthwise.  With  a  large  steel  square,  get  a 
square  corner,  measuring  from  this  four  sheets 
one-half  inch  longer  and  one  inch  wider  than  an 
open  sheet  of  the  book.  Mark  each  of  the  four 
corners  with  a  cross,  and  cut  the  edges  with  a 
knife,  along  the  lines  formed  by  the  square. 
Paste  an  inch  wide  strip  of  book  linen  on  to 
form  a  "tip"  or  guard  as  in  the  guest  book,  but 
unlined. 

When  the  end  papers  are  made  and  laid  in 
the  position  on  the  ends  of  the  book,  tip  out, 
with  the  corner  marked  X  at  the  top,  the  book 


FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

is  ready  to  be  put  in  press.  After  the  "head" 
is  cut  by  hand,  the  "fore-edge"  and  "tail"  or 
bottom  may  also  be  cut  by  hand,  but  it  is  a 
tiresome  process,  and  can  be  done  better  on  a 
cutting  machine  in  a  bindery. 

For  pressing  a  letter-press  answers  very 
well,  if  the  book  is  left  in  long  enough,  say 
forty-eight  hours.  The  book  must  be  knocked 
up  at  the  head  and  back  with  great  care,  and 
laid  on  the  center  of  a  board.  It  must  be 
tested  with  a  try-square.  If  it  stands  vertical, 
place  another  board  on  top  and  put  it  exactly 
under  the  screw  of  the  press.  Test  it  to  see 
that  it  has  not  slipped,  as,  if  the  sheets  are 
pressed  in  a  wrong  position  the  defect  cannot 
be  remedied.  The  press  should  be  screwed  as 
tight  as  possible.  Several  books  may  be 
pressed  at  one  time  if  care  is  taken  in  putting 
in  and  removing  them,  with  boards  between. 

When  the  book  is  pressed,  the  next  step  is 
sewing.  Knock  up  the  book  and  divide  the 
back  with  dividers  if  it  is  to  be  sewed  on  four 
tapes,  into  five  parts,  the  one  at  the  "tail"  be- 
ing a  little  the  longest.  At  each  end,  mark  a 
point  one-half  inch  in  for  the  kettle  stitch. 
Draw  lines  across  the  book  with  a  soft  pencil, 


BOOKBINDING  103 

using  a  try-square,  one  for  each  kettle  stitch, 
and  one  for  the  center  of  each  tape.  On  the 
bottom  of  the  sewing  frame,  which  is  shown  in 
a  photographic  illustration,  measure  corre- 
sponding distances  for  the  four  tapes  and  tack 
each  one  in  place,  then  carry  each  one  to  the 
top  of  the  frame  and  pin  it  over  the  ring. 
Place  the  book  in  position  and  test  with  a  try- 
square  to  see  that  the  tapes  and  marks  on  the 
book  are  vertical.  Screw  up  the  rings. 

The  book  should  be  sewed  with  medium  sized 
book-binder's  thread,  or  with  embroidery  silk, 
a  soft  green  being  satisfactory.  The  needles 
should  be  large.  In  very  careful  work  a  hole  is 
pricked  for  every  stitch  in  each  section.  Tie 
the  end  of  the  thread  to  a  tack  at  the  right  of 
the  book,  and  begin  sewing  the  end  paper, 
starting  in  at  the  outside  of  the  first  kettle 
stitch.  If  it  is  necessary  to  make  a  knot,  it 
should  come  between  the  tapes;  the  best  way 
being  to  attach  the  new  thread  with  a  weaver's 
knot,  pulling  the  knot  through  so  it  comes  on 
the  inside  of  the  book. 

In  sewing  tapes,  it  is  well  to  catch  every 
third  thread  with  a  button-hole  stitch.  The 
sewer  may  sit  in  front  of  the  frame,  as  in  the 


104      HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

photograph,  or  at  the  end,  but  her  position 
must  always  be  such  as  to  allow  her  left  hand 
to  go  behind  the  tapes,  in  the  middle  of  the 
sections  she  is  sewing  on.  When  the  sewing  is 
finished  the  ends  should  be  fastened  with  a 
double  kettle  stitch  and  each  thread  put 
through  into  the  book,  cut  off  about  three- 
quarters  inch  long,  and  frayed  out  like  a  tassel 
so  it  will  be  flat.  The  tapes  may  then  be  cut 
off  two  inches  from  the  book,  and  the  book 
taken  out.  It  should  be  put  in  the  finishing 
press,  back  up,  and  the  tapes  pulled  very  tight. 

All  the  processes  between  sewing  and  finish- 
ing are  included  under  the  general  name  of 
forwarding.  The  first  of  these  is  gluing  up. 
The  book  is  first  placed  between  mill  boards 
having  one  right  angle  at  the  corner  formed  by 
head  and  back,  and  carefully  knocked  up.  It 
is  then  put  into  the  finishing  press,  back  up, 
and  the  back  daubed  with  hot  glue.  Book- 
binder's glue  is  the  best. 

The  next  two  processes,  rounding  and  back- 
ing, have  already  been  described.  If  the  book 
is  a  valuable  one,  great  care  should  be  taken 
to  put  it  in  the  press  just  right  and  to  use 
regular  "backing  irons"  so  as  to  force  a 


USE  OF  SEWING  FRAME.     (Sewing  on  Tapes.) 


BOOKBINDING  105 

joint  into  which  the  covers  will  fit.  The  book 
should  be  put  between  the  backing  irons  which 
are  set  in  the  press,  ends  of  tapes  out,  in  such  a 
position  that  the  exact  thickness  of  the  boards 
projects  above  the  top  of  the  irons  to  form  a 
"joint."  If  necessary,  lines  may  be  drawn  to 
mark  the  exact  place  for  the  top  of  the  irons. 
Even  professionals  have  frequently  to  put  the 
book  in  position  two  or  three  times  to  get  it 
exact.  Back  as  described  in  the  beginning  of 
the  chapter. 

The  book  may  then  be  left  in  press  to  dry, 
the  process  of  backing  being  completed,  while 
the  boards  are  made.  In  a  book  sewed  on 
raised  bands  the  best  quality  of  mill  board 
should  be  used,  lined  with  good  white  paper. 
For  a  book  sewed  on  tapes,  the  thin  mill  board 
may  be  lined  with  straw  board.  The  approxi- 
mate size,  considerable  allowance  being  made 
for  cutting,  should  be  decided  on,  and  the  four 
pieces  of  board  cut. 

After  the  long  edges  are  cut  a  line  should 
be  drawn  two  inches  in  on  each  board,  and  the 
straw  board  glued  to  the  mill  board  outside 
this  two-inch  space,  which  should  be  filled  in 
with  a  loose  piece  of  paper.  After  the  boards 


106      HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

are  prepared  in  this  way  they  should  be  nipped 
up  in  the  press. 

The  two  sets  of  boards  should  then  be  stuck 
together  with  a  bit  of  paste,  the  cut  edges  ex- 
actly coinciding  and  the  mill  boards  outside. 
They  should  be  put  in  press  over-night. 

The  boards  should  then  be  cut  to  fit  the  book, 
allowing  ^4  inch  the  thickness  of  the  board 
longer  than  the  book,  and  %  wider.  In  set- 
ting the  boards  in  place,  an  allowance  of  per- 
haps one-sixteenth  inch  should  be  left  to  allow 
the  boards  free  play.  The  ends  of  the  tapes 


PASTING  TAPES  AND  TIP  INTO  COVER. 

and  the  tip  should  be  cut  parallel  with  the  back 
one  and  three-quarters  inches  away.  These 
ends  and  the  tip  should  then  be  slipped  into  the 
two-inch  space  left  between  the  boards,  the 
paper  being  first  removed.  If  they  fit  cor- 
rectly they  should  then  be  glued  in,  the  book 
being  protected  by  a  paper  cover.  The  boards 
must  be  tested  for  accuracy  before  the  glue 
sets,  and  the  book  nipped  up  in  the  press. 


BOOKBINDING  107 

In  full  bound  books  the  entire  cover  is  of 
leather;  in  half  bindings,  leather  is  only  used 
for  the  corners  and  backs.  A  pattern  for  a 
full-bound  should  first  be  drawn  carefully  with 
T-square  and  triangles,  allowing  three-quarter 
inch  extra  for  turn  in.  The  leather  has  the 
pattern  drawn  on  it  to  coincide,  and  the  three- 
quarter  inch  edge  is  then  pared  thin,  the  very 
edge  being  as  thin  as  possible.  The  space  over 
the  back  is  also  pared  a  little,  not  very  much  in 
books  sewed  on  tapes.  It  will  pay  to  learn 
how  to  use  a  paring-knife  by  watching  some 
one  in  a  bindery,  as  it  is  hard  to  describe  the 
process  in  words. 

The  back  of  the  book  should  be  filled  in  with 
paper  between  the  tapes  and  sand-papered 
smooth.  A  little  paste  may  be  put  on  before 
the  leather  is  put  on.  The  leather  should  be 
well  soaked  with  paste,  and  spread  out  wrong 
side  up  on  a  stone.  The  back  of  the  book  is 
laid  on  the  middle  of  the  leather,  and  the  book 
turned  over  again  for  the  other  side.  Then 
the  leather  is  pulled  into  position  if  the  mar- 
gins are  not  equal.  The  book  is  then  stood  on 
the  fore-edges  and  the  leather  pulled  down 
with  the  palms  of  the  hands,  as  shown  in  the 


108       HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

photograph,  and  patted  flat  all  over  one  side, 
then  over  the  other.  The  fore-edge  is  then 
worked  by  pulling  the  leather  over,  lapping  it 
inside  and  rubbing  the  edge  with  the  bone 
folder,  the  other  fore-edge  the  same  way,  as 
shown  in  photograph. 

The  book  is  then  stood  up  on  one  end  and 
the  leather  pushed  away  from  the  top  far 
enough  to  allow  a  space  to  make  it  lap  down 
neatly  across  the  back — that  is,  it  must  be 


[f 

HEAD  CAP.    MITERING  CORNERS. 

"tucked  in"  between  the  boards  and  the  back. 
The  very  middle  must  be  pulled  up  a  little  so 
as  to  make  a  head-cap.  After  each  end  is 
done  this  way,  and  the  edges  turned  in  along 
the  boards  at  head  and  tail  to  the  corners,  a 
long  piece  of  silk  is  tied  around  the  book  twice, 
pulling  in  the  leather.  The  cap  is  then  formed 
by  tapping  the  book,  tipped  slightly  backward 
on  a  stone,  and  pressing  a  small  orange-wood 
stick  into  each  side  of  the  cap  to  hold  it  in  shape. 


COVERING  A  FULL-BOUND  BOOK. 


BOOKBINDING 


109 


The  little  sketch  shows  the  correct  form.  The 
silk  may  be  left  on  while  the  corners  are  being 
mitered.  The  inside  corner  is  made  by  stretch- 
ing the  leather  diagonally  onto  the  book,  the 
surplus  leather  is  then  pushed  up  and  cut  away 


ONE  SIDE  DRYING. 


with  scissors,  leaving  a  tiny  overlap,  to  be 
pasted  down  very  carefully,  covered  with 
fresh  pieces  of  paper.  The  joint  especially 
must  be  perfectly  smooth.  When  one  side  is 


LLJll 


FINISHING  CORNERS. 


done  it  should  be  left  open  and  folded  back  in 
canton  flannel  under  a  board  or  stone  while  the 
other  side  is  done.  The  book  should  then  be 
left  open  standing,  with  the  covers  held  back 
by  a  piece  of  cardboard  cut  as  in  the  picture. 


110      HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

The  paste  used  in  the  different  processes 
may  be  obtained  from  a  bindery  or  made  at 
home.  If  the  latter  it  must  be  rubbed  very 
smooth  with  a  spoon  through  a  fine  sieve  after 
the  materials  are  wet. 

For  leather  the  following  proportions  will 
make  a  good  paste :  two  cups  flour,  eight  cups 
hot  water,  a  few  drops  oil  of  cloves.  Stir  con- 
stantly, while  boiling.  For  paper,  especially 
in  mending,  a  paste  made  of  starch  is  prefer- 
able. One-half  flour  and  one-half  starch  is  a 
good  proportion.  A  little  formaldehyde  may 
be  used  to  make  it  keep. 

In  mending,  the  essential  thing  is  to  have 
plenty  of  clean  papers  with  which  to  rub  down 
the  work,  so  that  the  fingers  need  never  touch 
the  partly  dried  patch.  Each  mended  sheet 
should  then  be  laid  under  a  stone,  between 
clean  papers.  The  thinnest  Japanese  paper, 
if  strong,  may  be  used.  It  should  be  measured 
with  dividers  and  cut  with  a  sharp  knife  and 
glass.  Often  single  sheets  are  pasted  to  the 
last  leaves  of  sections.  These  should  be  mois- 
tened and  removed,  and  guarded;  that  is,  a 
strip  of  paper  heavy  enough  to  hold  sewing 
should  be  cut  just  the  length  of  the  sheet  and 


BOOKBINDING  111 

wide  enough  to  fold  over  and  sew  with  the  sec- 
tion. Engravings  and  maps  may  be  mounted 
this  way.  In  the  most  delicate  mending  the 
edges  of  the  paper  are  sometimes  pared,  and 
often  a  piece  like  the  page  is  used.  The  mend- 
ing-paper should  always  match  the  book  in 
color.  In  making  new  end  papers  for  old 
books  the  paper  chosen  should  be  deeper, 
rather  than  lighter  in  color.  Novels,  school- 
books  and  other  cheaply  cased  books  often  have 
their  covers  pulled  loose  while  the  leaves  are 
still  solid. 

In  order  to  repair  such  a  book,  pull  the  cover 
off  altogether;  if  the  end  section  is  loose  over- 
cast it  to  the  book  with  a  piece  of  fine  book- 
binders' thread,  then  take  two  pieces  of  mill 
board  as  near  as  possible  to  the  thickness  of  the 
boards,  place  one  on  each  side  so  as  to  hold  the 
joints  perfectly  in  place,  and  put  in  the  press 
over  night.  If  the  end  papers  are  very  much 
worn,  new  ones  may  be  attached  before  the 
book  is  pressed. 

When  the  book  is  well  pressed  the  cover  may 
be  replaced.  A  method  often  used  in  repair- 
shops  is  to  take  a  piece  of  coarse-meshed  linen 
about  an  inch  wider  than  the  back  of  the  book 


113       HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

and  a  little  shorter  and  glue  it  on,  leaving  an 
inch  flap  at  each  side.  When  the  back  is  dry 
these  flaps  may  be  pasted  to  the  covers,  and 
when  they  in  turn  are  dry,  a  sheet  of  the  end 
paper  may  be  cut  to  fit  and  pasted  over  like  a 
filling-in  paper. 


CHAPTER  VI 

CEMENT  WORKING 

Use  of  concrete  materials  for  small  objects,  such  as 
flower  pots,  bird  baths,  stepping  stones,  etc. 

Success  of  experiments  at  Devereux  Mansion  in  mould 
making,  and  in  the  use  of  color  in  tiles,  etc. 

Application  of  craft  to  cooperative  work-shops  in  hos- 
pitals and  sanatoria  and  to  individual  handicapped 
workers. 

Preparation  of  cement,  necessary  appliances,  and  descrip- 
tion of  processes  employed. 

Illustrations  of  steps  in  making  a  cement  flower  pot. 


VI 

CEMENT  WORKING 

ABOUT  ten  years  ago  in  searching  for  suitable 
occupations  for  the  handicapped  Dr.  Hall  and 
one  of  his  assistants,  Miss  Edith  Griffin,  a 
skilled  designer,  hit  upon  the  idea  of  using  con- 
crete materials  for  the  making  of  small  objects 
such  as  flower  pots,  bird  baths,  and  the  like. 
At  the  time  the  field  was  practically  new. 
There  were  no  suitable  moulds  in  existence. 
The  principle,  of  course,  was  well  enough 
known  and  well  applied  in  large  architectural 
work.  It  became  necessary  to  undertake  a 
long  series  of  experiments  in  order  to  produce 
small  moulds  which  would  work  satisfactorily 
and  with  little  danger  of  disappointing  results. 
The  better  part  of  two  years  was  devoted  by 
Miss  Griffin  and  her  assistants  to  the  task  of 
designing  such  moulds  and  the  more  difficult 
problem  of  getting  them  cast  satisfactorily  in 

115 


116       HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

iron.  Finally,  however,  a  group  of  a  dozen 
very  attractive  flower  pot  moulds  was  evolved. 
The  materials  and  the  moulds  are  not  very 
heavy;  the  operations  may  be  done  with  com- 
paratively little  outlay  of  strength  and  the  re- 
sults are  most  satisfactory. 

The  flower  pot  making  as  it  has  been  carried 
out  at  Devereux  Mansion  in  Marblehead  and 
in  a  number  of  hospital  workshops  elsewhere 
has  developed  unexpected  value  as  an  emer- 
gency occupation  for  people  who  would  other- 
wise be  idle.  All  classes  of  workers  find  inter- 
est and  pleasure  in  making  the  flower  pots. 
There  is  apparently  a  steady  market  for  well 
designed  and  well  executed  concrete  work  for 
in-door  and  garden  decoration.  The  flower 
pots  have  been  found  to  be  of  special  value  to 
florists  and  plant  growers  everywhere.  The 
thick  walls  of  the  pots  are  somewhat  porous; 
they  take  up  considerable  quantities  of  water 
and  hold  it  for  a  long  time,  keeping  the  earth 
moist  and  serving  the  plant  in  a  very  satisfac- 
tory way,  much  better  than  the  ordinary  terra 
cotta  flower  pot  which  is  waterproof  and  which 
easily  drowns  the  roots  if  the  accompanying 
saucer  is  kept  filled  with  water.  With  these 


CEMENT  WORKING  117 

new  pots  it  is  not  necessary  to  water  often  be- 
cause of  the  extra  moisture  retained.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  infrequent  watering  is  a  distinct 
advantage  to  the  plant,  approximating  condi- 
tions of  nature  which  gives  but  infrequent 
showers.  However  that  may  be,  it  has  been 
possible  to  restore  badly  drooped  and  very  un- 
promising plants  by  the  use  of  these  new  flower 
pots.  The  old-fashioned  flower  pot  is  cheaper, 
no  doubt,  but  a  considerable  public  is  willing  to 
pay  for  the  interest  and  adaptability  of  the  new 
ware.  New  possibilities  are  continually  sug- 
gesting themselves  along  this  line.  It  is  evi- 
dent that  only  a  beginning  has  been  made. 
Now  that  it  is  possible  to  produce  satisfactory 
moulds,  it  is  only  a  question  of  time  when  de- 
signers will  give  us  forms  and  decorations 
which  will  put  the  new  ware  upon  a  firm  basis 
of  artistic  and  technical  value. 

The  new  flower  pots  represent  only  one 
small  field  of  possible  work  with  cement.  All 
over  the  country  there  is  a  growing  interest  in 
attracting  birds  and  in  making  conditions 
favorable  for  their  continued  stay,  consequently 
the  bird  bath  has  become  a  very  common  and 
desirable  adjunct  to  the  garden.  There  is  no 


X18       HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

end  to  the  possibilities  of  shape  and  decoration 
and  arrangement.  The  making  of  moulds  for 
bird  baths  is  a  very  simple  process  and  com- 
monly the  amount  of  material  used  does  not 
mean  heavy  lifting  for  the  worker.  Garden 
seats  of  cement  are  now  used  very  generally. 
They  are  practically  weather  proof  and  may  be 
made  most  attractive.  Stepping  stones  of 
concrete  are  a  most  interesting  and  useful 
product.  At  Marblehead  a  series  of  experi- 
ments is  now  under  way  which  seems  likely  to 
produce  attractive  and  inexpensive  mosaic  tiles 
in  color,  for  fireplaces,  vestibules,  floors,  and 
garden  walls. 

This  kind  of  work  may  be  done  on  a  large 
scale  in  special  workshops  or  it  may  be  done  at 
home  by  single  workers  provided  with  inex- 
pensive equipment.  All  in  all,  cement  work- 
ing is  one  of  the  most  easily  available  and  prac- 
tical fields  of  work  for  the  handicapped.  The 
worker  need  not  be  a  designer,  because  the 
moulds  if  properly  made  will  determine  the  de- 
sign for  him.  On  the  other  hand,  if  he  has  in- 
genuity and  taste  he  may  devise  moulds  for 
himself  which  will  be  productive  of  good  re- 
sults. The  materials  used  are  very  cheap  and 


CEMENT  WORKING  119 

the  products  have  a  value  sufficient  to  make  the 
work  reasonably  remunerative. 

The  beginner,  in  undertaking  cement  work 
of  the  kind  which  has  been  suggested  and  used 
so  successfully  as  a  handicapped  occupation, 
should  secure  for  himself  to  start  with  a  few 
iron  moulds,  a  little  trowel  such  as  is  used  by 
professional  moulders  in  the  foundries,  a  good 
sized  mixing  spoon,  and  some  ordinary  agate 
ware  basins  of  good  size.  From  a  dealer  in 
masons'  supplies  he  should  purchase  a  bag  of 
Portland  cement  and  a  few  bags  of  medium 
fine  building  sand.  We  use  at  Marblehead, 
Atlas  Portland  cement ;  almost  any  good  brand 
will  do.  The  sand  must  be  sharp;  that  is,  it 
must  not  be  so  fine  or  so  water-worn  that  it  has 
not  sharp  cutting  edges,  and  it  must  be  free  or 
nearly  free  from  loam  or  clay.  Any  practical 
builder  or  dealer  in  supplies  will  pass  judg- 
ment on  the  materials.  There  will  be  need  of 
some  half  dozen  primary  metallic  colors :  these 
can  be  obtained  from  Waldo  Bros.,  45  Bat- 
terymarch  Street,  Boston,  and  from  B.  F. 
Drakenfeld  &  Co.,  50  Murray  Street,  New 
York  City,  in  the  crude  primary  shades ;  and  in 
several  interesting  blends  of  soft  and  pleasing 


120       HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

tones  at  Devereux  Mansion  Shops,  Marble- 
head,  Mass.  To  make  a  flower  pot  it  is  neces- 
sary to  mix  the  cement  and  sand  dry,  adding  a 
little  coloring  matter  of  one  sort  or  another  as 
desired.  These  materials  are  thoroughly 
mixed  together  with  a  spoon  in  the  proportion 
of  one  part  cement  and  two  of  sand;  the 
amount  of  each  ingredient  will  be  best  deter- 
mined by  experience,  as  it  varies,  of  course, 
with  the  size  of  the  mould.  When  the  mass  is 
mixed  a  small  quantity  of  water  is  added,  a 
teaspoonful  at  a  time  and  stirred  in.  This 
added  water  is  taken  up  by  the  cement  which 
after  a  few  hours  will  harden.  If  the  mixture 
is  too  wet,  it  will  stick  to  the  mould;  if  it  is 
too  dry,  it  will  crumble  and  be  unsatisfactory. 
Only  experience  can  teach  the  exact  degree  of 
moisture  which  is  best.  A  good  test  is  made 
by  taking  a  handful  of  the  moist  mixture  and 
squeezing  it  with  the  fingers;  there  should  be 
no  excess  of  water,  but  the  mass  should  adhere 
together  showing  the  imprint  of  the  fingers. 
This  little  handful  which  is  held  together  by  its 
own  cohesion  should  be  easily  broken  apart, 
leaving  a  fairly  straight  line  of  cleavage. 
Generally  speaking,  about  a  half  cupful  of 


CEMENT  WORK,  1. 
The  mould  closed,  showing  method  of  tamping. 


CEMENT  WORKING  121 

water  to  a  mixture  for  the  ordinary  sized  flower 
pot  is  sufficient.  The  usual  mould  consists  of 
three  parts :  the  carrier,  which  is  a  little  hollow 
square  made  of  brass;  the  core,  which  is  of 
smooth  iron  and  over  which  the  carrier  sets 
(this  core  is  a  solid  shape  of  metal  which  fills 
the  space  later  to  become  the  inside  of  the 
flower  pot)  ;  finally,  the  mould  proper,  hinged 
together  in  such  a  way  as  to  fit  around  the  car- 
rier, leaving  a  space  for  the  cement  between 
the  wall  of  the  mould  and  the  core.  A  glance 
at  the  accompanying  sketch  will  show  how 
these  parts  are  assembled.  The  pots  are  al- 
ways made  upside  down  so  that  they  may  be 
lifted  off  the  core  without  difficulty.  When 
the  mixture  is  ready  the  mould,  the  core,  and 
the  carrier  should  be  brushed  over  with  kero- 
sene. A  small  paint  brush  is  best  to  use  for 
this.  It  is  necessary  to  cover  all  parts  of  the 
inside  mould,  the  core,  and  the  carrier  so  that 
the  cement  will  not  stick  later  to  the  surface  of 
the  metal. 

The  tamping  or  pressing  down  of  the  moist 
mixture  into  the  mould  is  a  simple  process  and 
yet  it  must  be  done  with  some  care.  A  good 
handful  of  the  mixture  is  thrown  into  the 


122       HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

mould  so  that  it  will  fall  between  the  core  and 
the  sides.  With  a  stick  made  of  ordinary  hard 
wood  and  having  about  the  dimensions  of  a 
foot  rule,  only  a  little  thicker,  the  mixture  is 
pounded  or  tamped  down  hard.  It  is  well  to 
scratch  the  upper  surface  of  the  tamped  cement 
with  a  pointed  stick,  so  that  the  next  handful 
when  tamped  will  unite  with  the  one  before. 
This  process  goes  on  until  the  open  top  of  the 
mould  is  reached.  It  is  then  well  to  pile  up 
the  mixture  an  inch  or  so  above  the  level  of  the 
mould  and  to  press  it  down  hard  by  striking 
with  a  mallet  over  a  smooth  board.  The  last 
layer,  which  will  form  the  bottom  of  the  flower 
pot,  must  be  smoothed  off  carefully  with  a 
trowel  or  straight  edged  stick;  otherwise  the 
pot  will  set  unevenly.  It  often  happens  in 
taking  off  the  mould  that  some  corner  or  small 
section  of  the  flower  pot  will  crumble  and  fall 
off.  If  this  broken  place  is  not  too  large,  it 
can  be  easily  mended  by  patching  a  little  of 
the  mixture  into  the  defect  in  much  the  way  a 
dentist  fills  a  tooth. 

When  the  cement  is  tamped  in,  the  walls  of 
the  mould  will  leave  their  impress  on  the  mix- 
ture and  the  core  will  fill  up  the  space  which 


CEMENT  WORKING  123 

will  later  become  the  inside  of  the  flower  pot. 
As  soon  as  the  tamping  is  finished,  the  sides  of 
the  mould  are  removed  with  great  care  to  avoid 
breaking  down  the  corners  or  the  decoration. 
The  finished  flower  pot  is  then  lifted  on  its  car- 
rier, leaving  the  core  behind  on  the  table.  The 
pot  on  its  carrier  is  then  placed  somewhere  out 
of  danger  of  touch,  and  it  must  be  kept  moist 
for  the  first  twenty-four  hours  while  the 
cement  is  setting.  Moisture  may  be  provided 
by  the  use  of  little  tents  of  wood  covered  with 
cloth.  These  tents,  placed  over  the  soft  flower 
pot  and  kept  moist  with  water  will  be  very 
useful.  After  about  twelve  to  twenty-four 
hours  the  flower  pot  will  be  hard  enough  to  be 
lifted  from  the  carrier.  It  may  then  be  placed 
upon  the  ground  or  the  floor  or  some  suitable 
shelf  where  it  must  remain  as  nearly  undis- 
turbed as  possible  for  at  least  two  weeks,  being 
kept  moist  all  this  time.  It  is  then  ready  for 
use,  although  a  longer  hardening  process  will 
do  no  harm.  After  the  first  few  days  it  is  well 
to  turn  the  pots  over,  right  side  up,  and  to  fill 
or  partly  fill  them  with  water.  This  insures  a 
thorough  soaking.  So  much  stress  is  laid  on 
wetting  and  keeping  dry  because  if  the  pots 


124,       HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

are  allowed  to  dry,  especially  during  the  first 
few  days,  they  will  always  be  weak  and 
crumbly. 

The  small  iron  moulds  meet  the  require- 
ments of  a  considerable  field  of  cement  work 
and  the  method  is  particularly  useful  for  those 
whose  physical  strength  is  slight  and  whose 
nervous  energy  quickly  gives  out.  They  pro- 
duce, however,  only  comparatively  small  pieces. 
Cement  is  a  material  well  adapted  for  larger 
and  heavier  work.  In  making  the  larger 
pieces  such  as  bay  tree  pots  and  the  larger  hol- 
low ware  for  the  garden,  the  so-called  template 
process  is  more  practical.  To  make  one  of 
these  larger  pieces  the  same  mixture  of  sand, 
cement,  and  coloring  matter  is  mixed,  only  in 
larger  amount.  The  core,  which  is  to  repre- 
sent the  inside  of  the  large  pot,  can  be  made  of 
sheet  metal,  in  plaster  of  Paris,  or  in  moulder's 
sand  which  last  may  be  fashioned  into  any 
shape  after  it  is  moistened.  This  core  is  fitted 
over  a  central  shaft  which  protrudes  well  above 
the  top  of  the  core.  The  core  naturally  fol- 
lows the  lines  which  are  to  be  the  outside  of 
the  pot  but  need  not  follow  exactly.  This 
core  should  be  made  or  fixed  upon  a  solid  table 


CEMENT  WORK,  3. 

Lifting  the  completed  flower  pot  from  the  core 
which  is  left  behind  on  the  table.  The  pot  is  still 
soft  but  is  movable  because  it  rests  on  the  little 
frame  of  metal  called  the  carrier. 


CEMENT  WORKING  195 

and  the  central  shaft  must  be  screwed  or  bolted 
to  the  table  firmly.  Over  the  core  may  then 
be  plastered  or  tamped  a  sufficient  amount  of 
the  moist  cement  material  to  cover  the  whole 
surface  an  inch  or  two  deep.  The  tamping  is 
made  easily  practical  by  placing  around  the 
core  a  sheet  metal  apron  or  guard  which  will 
hold  the  material  firmly  while  the  tamping  is 
going  on.  This  sheet  iron  apron  can  be  made 
by  any  tinsmith  and  it  should  be  built  in  two 
parts  so  that  when  the  tamping  is  done  the 
metal  may  be  easily  removed  from  the  mass. 
When  the  apron  is  removed,  there  will  remain 
the  core  covered  thickly  and  firmly  with  the 
tamped  cement  mixture,  which  is  still  soft 
enough  to  be  scraped  or  moulded  into  shape. 
Through  the  middle  of  the  whole  structure  pro- 
trudes the  central  shaft.  The  template  or 
cutter,  which  is  to  shape  the  outside  of  the  pot, 
is  made  of  steel  or  iron  cut  to  the  exact  lines 
that  are  required  for  the  outside  of  the  pot.  It 
fits  over  the  central  shaft  in  such  a  way  that  it 
may  be  revolved  about  the  piece,  cutting  slowly 
into  the  mass.  It  is  adjusted  so  that  the  cut- 
ting edge  shaves  off  a  little  at  a  time  until  the 
final  shape  is  secured.  If  the  mass  is  cut  down 


126      HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

too  rapidly,  it  breaks  and  falls  to  pieces. 
When  the  cutting  is  done,  the  template  is  re- 
moved and  the  piece  is  allowed  to  remain  over 
night  or  longer,  resting  on  the  core.  The  ma- 
terial is  kept  moist  by  the  application  of  cloths 
applied  in  many  thicknesses  and  soaked  with 
water.  Finally  the  core  and  its  cement  shell 
are  turned  over  and  the  core  removed.  These 
larger  pots,  like  the  smaller  pieces,  must  then 
be  kept  moist  for  a  considerable  period  of  time, 
two  weeks  or  more,  until  the  hardening  process 
is  complete.  The  hole  in  the  bottom  of  the 
pot,  left  by  the  shaft,  may  be  plugged  with 
moist  cement  which  will  later  harden. 

A  considerable  variety  of  hollow  cement 
work,  bowls,  and  flower  pots  may  be  made 
from  very  simple  plaster  of  Paris  moulds.  As 
is  well  known,  plaster  of  Paris  will  harden  into 
any  shape  to  which  it  is  applied.  The  de- 
signer can  model  in  plasticene  or  clay  any 
shape  which  does  not  narrow  at  the  top  and 
from  this  shape  may  be  made  a  one  piece 
mould  which  will  later  give  form  to  the  cement. 
It  is  possible  to  take  any  well  shaped  glass  or 
pottery  or  metal  dish  and  make  from  it  a  plas- 
ter of  Paris  mould  which  will  reproduce  an  in- 


CEMENT  WORKING  127 

definite  number  of  cement  pieces  of  the  same 
shape.  Take,  for  instance,  the  ordinary  agate 
ware  wash  basin.  Such  a  basin  is  turned  up- 
side down  and  plaster  of  Paris,  mixed  with 
water  to  the  consistency  of  soft  mud,  is  spread 
over  the  surface.  When  the  plaster  is  hard- 
ened the  wash  basin  is  removed.  It  comes 
out  easily  if  there  are  no  irregularities  and  if 
the  surface  has  been  well  oiled.  The  result  is 
a  heavy  chunk  of  plaster  of  Paris  containing 
the  impression  of  the  wash  basin.  Such  a 
plaster  mould  must  be  thoroughly  dried  in  a 
warm  place.  This  drying  process  usually 
takes  a  week  or  more.  When  the  mould  is 
dry  the  smooth  inner  surface  is  covered  with  a 
coat  of  shellac.  Immediately  before  use  the 
mould  must  be  painted  over  with  linseed  oil, 
then  coated  with  a  layer  of  thin  gelatine  solu- 
tion. Into  the  hollow  thus  produced  a  suf- 
ficient amount  of  the  moist  cement  mixture  is 
pressed  and  smoothed,  making  a  cement  lining 
for  the  mould.  This  lining  should  be  made 
fairly  thick,  as  thick  as  the  cement  bowl  is  in- 
tended to  be.  The  inner  surface  should  be 
carefully  smoothed  and  finished  by  hand. 
The  mould  and  its  cement  lining  may  then  be 


128      HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

covered  with  a  wet  cloth  and  left  for  twenty- 
four  hours.  When  the  mould  is  inverted  and 
tapped  lightly  with  a  mallet,  the  cement  shell 
will  drop  out  and  may  be  treated  as  the  flower 
pots  are  usually  treated;  that  is,  set  aside  and 
kept  moist  for  a  sufficient  length  of  time. 
Such  bowls  filled  with  earth  and  planted  with 
nasturtiums  or  the  like  are  exceedingly  effec- 
tive. 

The  making  of  solid  cement  pieces  such  as 
stepping  stones  and  the  tops  of  garden  seats  is 
a  comparatively  simple  matter.  The  moulds 
are  usually  made  of  wood  in  such  a  way  that 
the  sides  may  be  easily  removed.  There  is,  of 
course,  no  need  of  a  core,  so  that  the  cement 
mixture  is  tamped  in  solidly.  A  very  service- 
able stepping  stone  for  gardens  is  produced  in 
this  way.  The  stepping  stone  moulds  which 
have  been  used  very  successfully  in  Marble- 
head  are  made  of  iron  and  fastened  together 
with  clamps  at  the  corners.  The  iron  frames 
are  made  ten  and  twelve  inches  square  and  two 
inches  high,  so  that  the  finished  "stone"  will  be 
thick  and  strong.  The  frames  or  moulds  are 
assembled  on  a  piece  of  smooth  marble  or 
heavy  glass;  the  slab  or  glass  must  be  oiled  as 


CEMENT  WORKING  If9 

well  as  the  sides  of  the  frame.  The  open  space 
is  simply  filled  and  tamped  hard  with  the 
cement  mixture.  If  the  mixture  is  well 
tamped,  the  sides  of  the  frame  may  be  removed 
at  once.  The  stepping  stone  may  be  moved  by 
hand  in  about  twenty-four  hours  if  it  is  kept 
thoroughly  wet.  Meanwhile  it  requires  the 
same  wet  conditions  for  a  long  period,  two 
weeks  at  least  before  it  is  ready  to  use.  These 
stepping  stones  set  in  the  grass  of  the  lawn  are 
most  effective.  The  grass  grows  around  the 
sharp  corners  and  soon  gives  the  desirable  ir- 
regular shape  to  the  "stone."  While  the 
cement  is  still  soft  it  is  possible  to  impress  upon 
its  surface  any  simple  design,  thereby  adding 
greatly  to  the  interest  of  the  piece. 

Most  interesting  mosaic  tiles  are  made  in  the 
following  manner.  On  a  sheet  of  wax  or  clay 
is  made  the  deep  beveled  lines  of  any  outline 
picture  or  design.  The  sheet  of  clay  should  be 
of  the  size  of  the  proposed  tile.  Frames  sim- 
ilar to  the  stepping  stone  frames  or  moulds  are 
placed  about  the  wax,  and  soft  plaster  of  Paris 
poured  into  the  space  thus  formed.  When  the 
frames  and  wax  are  removed,  the  design  will  be 
found  transferred  to  the  plaster  of  Paris. 


130      HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

Such  a  plaster  block  bearing  a  design  in  outline 
may  be  impressed  upon  a  soft  tile  of  cement. 
Eut  the  plaster  soons  breaks  down  and  wears 
out,  so  it  is  much  better  to  have  the  plaster  of 
Paris  design  duplicated  in  brass  or  iron.  Any 
first-class  foundry  will  undertake  the  job,  and 
the  resulting  die  may  be  used  indefinitely. 
When  this  die  is  pressed  or  hammered  down 
into  the  soft  surface  of  the  cement  tile,  the  lines 
of  the  design  will  be  left,  either  raised  or  de- 
pressed as  the  case  may  be.  If  the  lines  are 
raised,  it  is  easy  to  fill  into  the  spaces  of  the  de- 
sign the  colored  cement  inlays. 

Of  course,  all  this  work  with  cement  implies 
practice  if  the  results  are  to  be  satisfactory. 
The  beginner  must  not  be  discouraged  with 
early  mistakes  and  failures.  It  is  a  great  deal 
better  whenever  possible  to  have  a  teacher  who 
has  been  trained  in  the  various  processes. 
Yet  such  work  might  be  taken  up  by  any  in- 
valid with  fair  strength  in  the  arms  and  with 
the  assistance  of  some  one  accustomed  to  the 
use  of  cement  for  ordinary  building  purposes. 
At  the  workshops  in  Marblehead  there  are  al- 
most always  young  women  learning  to  teach 
cement  working.  They  find  positions  in  hos- 


CEMENT  WORKING  131 

pitals  and  asylums,  or  as  attendants  and  teach- 
ers for  individual  invalids.  A  number  of  suc- 
cessful workshops  have  been  instituted  in 
various  parts  of  the  country.  It  has  been  the 
intention  of  the  management  of  the  Marble- 
head  shop  to  equip  with  teachers  and  supplies 
workshops  that  shall  be  scattered  over  the 
country  in  such  a  way  as  to  avoid  competition. 
While  the  market  for  well  made  cement  arti- 
cles is  perennial  and  good,  it  is  limited;  and  no 
city  would  be  likely  to  support  successfully 
more  than  one  shop. 


CHAPTER  VII 

POTTERY  MAKING 

Pottery  at  Marblehead,  established  twelve  years  ago. 
Started  with  idea  of  occupation  for  handicapped  work- 
ers. Two  principal  workers  served  apprenticeship  as 
patients.  Work  undertaken  too  general  for  a  patients' 
work-shop.  Should  have  been  limited  to  one  or  two 
small  specialties. 

Finally  given  over  to  a  professional  industry,  successful 
financially. 

Pottery  for  tubercular  girls  near  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia, and  for  patients  in  State  Hospitals  of  Massa- 
chusetts. 

Possibilities  of  tile  industry,  and  description  of  methods 
of  working. 


VII 

POTTERY  MAKING 

POTTERY  making  is  included  in  the  list  of  oc- 
cupations for  the  handicapped  more  because 
of  the  writer's  belief  in  its  .possibilities  than  be- 
cause of  actual  accomplishments  and  cash  re- 
turns. Twelve  years  ago  in  Marblehead  a 
small  pottery  was  established  with  the  idea  of 
occupation  for  handicapped  workers.  The 
pottery  is  still  in  successful  operation.  It  has 
not  for  a  good  many  years  been  used  as  a  school 
or  in  the  interest  of  invalids,  although  two  of  its 
principal  workers  of  to-day  had  their  appren- 
ticeship as  patients  twelve  years  ago.  The 
reasons  for  giving  up  the  teaching  and  the 
work  for  invalids  will  be  of  interest  to  any  one 
contemplating  pottery  as  a  special  occupation. 
The  industry  began  with  the  employment  of 
one  man  with  technical  training  in  the  art. 
He  was  supplied  with  the  necessary  equipment 

135 


136      HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

for  a  beginning  and  was  advised  to  go  ahead 
as  though  he  were  doing  it  for  himself,  without 
any  reference  to  pupils  or  patients.  There  are 
a  great  many  details  in  pottery  making,  and 
certain  of  these  can  be  accomplished  by  intelli- 
gent assistants  without  special  training.  The 
attempt  was  made  at  Marblehead  to  produce 
a  considerable  variety  of  ware ;  and  here  proba- 
bly was  the  first  mistake.  If  the  work  had 
been  kept  down  to  one  or  two  small  specialties, 
it  would  have  served  better  the  interest  of  the 
invalid  apprentices.  But  the  man  in  charge 
was  not  content  to  go  slowly;  he  had,  in  fact, 
too  much  the  professional  idea,  and  was  too 
much  an  artist  and  creator  to  be  a  good 
teacher.  The  result  was  that  the  pupils  could 
not  keep  up  with  him.  They  spoiled  some  of 
the  work,  and  it  was  decided  to  go  ahead  for 
a  while  on  a  purely  professional  basis.  So 
with  the  assistance  of  the  two  apprentices  who 
have  since  become  professional,  the  work  was 
carried  on  and  developed  to  a  very  high  degree 
of  perfection.  Finally,  it  became  so  success- 
ful on  the  new  basis,  that  it  was  allowed  to  go 
on  so;  and  the  idea  of  making  a  new  industry 
for  the  handicapped  was  given  up. 


POTTERY  137 

A  pottery  was  established  some  years  ago 
by  Dr.  Philip  King  Brown  of  San  Francisco 
for  the  benefit  of  a  tubercular  sanatorium. 
It  was  intended  to  give  the  patients,  who  were 
young  women  from  the  department  stores  of 
San  Francisco,  a  chance  to  earn  their  living 
while  they  were  convalescing.  Dr.  Brown  re- 
ports that  while  the  work  has  been  satisfactory 
as  an  occupation  and  while  the  patients  have 
turned  out  a  fair  quality  of  ware,  the  institu- 
tion is  not  successful  financially  because  the 
product  is  not  quite  good  enough  to  compete 
with  existing  commercial  potteries;  and  be- 
cause, as  in  the  venture  at  Marblehead,  the  pro- 
fessional potter  chosen  to  conduct  the  institu- 
tion proved  to  be  too  active  and  ambitious  for 
the  best  teaching  results. 

Pottery  has  been  undertaken  by  three  of  the 
state  asylums  for  the  insane  in  Massachusetts. 
So  far  it  has  been  used  largely  as  a  diversion 
and  to  add  to  the  interest  and  permanent  value 
of  clay  modeling.  Recent  exhibitions  from 
these  potteries  have  shown  creditable  work. 
They  have  not  been  in  operation  long  enough 
to  warrant  any  prediction  of  their  commercial 
value.  There  is  no  doubt  of  the  interest  and 


138       HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

desirable  diversion  available  for  mental  pa- 
tients along  this  line. 

After  ten  years'  observation  of  a  small  but 
successful  pottery  plant,  the  writer  feels  justi- 
fied in  the  following  conclusions  and  predic- 
tions. Work  in  clay  should  not  be  undertaken 
by  the  handicapped  except  under  the  most 
careful  and  experienced  direction.  They 
should  then  undertake  some  specialty  such  as 
tiles  or  opaque  shades  for  indirect  light  fix- 
tures. Such  products,  which  can  be  made  in 
moulds  and  decorated  by  hand,  have  large  pos- 
sibilities of  commercial  success,  and  need  not  be 
too  complex  or  difficult  in  execution.  In  the 
broader  fields  of  pottery  covering  hollow  and 
flat  ware,  competition  is  too  keen  and  the  tech- 
nical difficulties  too  great  to  warrant  any  ex- 
tensive manufacture.  Another  great  objec- 
tion lies  in  the  difficulty  of  securing  the  right 
kind  of  instructors.  There  should  be  a  fine 
field  here  for  young  art  students  who  are  will- 
ing to  devote  their  lives  to  teaching  without  a 
consuming  personal  ambition.  New  York 
State  University  at  Alfred  has  a  school  of  pot- 
tery which  could  easily  give  the  required  tech- 
nical training.  A  graduate  of  that  school 


POTTERY  139 

might  establish  in  connection  with  some  insti- 
tution a  training  school  for  teachers. 

A  small  tile  industry  could  easily  be  estab- 
lished in  connection  with  an  institution  or  by  a 
few  handicapped  workers  in  any  community. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  have  a  native  clay,  al- 
though the  existence  of  suitable  earth  in  the 
near  vicinity  lessens  the  expense  of  manufac- 
ture. Decorated  tiles  suitable  for  fireplaces 
can  be  easily  made  by  hand  from  plaster  of 
Paris,  wood,  or  metal  moulds.  The  first  step 
is  to  trace  upon  clay  or  plaster  the  design  in 
outline  or  in  low  relief.  From  such  a  block 
any  one,  with  a  little  experience,  may  construct 
a  one-piece  mould.  Into  this  mould  the  clay 
is  fixed  and  pressed  until  the  design  and  shape 
are  transferred.  After  drying,  the  clay  may 
be  fired  at  a  temperature  which  need  not  ex- 
ceed 2000°  Fhr.  The  product  will  be  a  terra- 
cotta tile  of  comparatively  little  interest,  as  it 
will  lack  color  and  finish.  These  terra-cotta 
tiles,  however,  may  be  painted  with  under 
glazes  and  coated  with  over  glazes  so  that  a 
second  firing  will  produce  tiles  of  great  value 
and  permanence.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to 
add  that  the  design  must  be  worth  while;  and 


140      HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

that  the  chemistry  of  the  glazes  must  be  such 
as  to  insure  good  results.  It  has  long  been 
the  writer's  dream  that  there  should  be  some 
central  office  where  designs  of  the  highest 
quality  could  be  produced  and  distributed  to 
handicapped  pottery  workers  in  different  sec- 
tions of  the  country.  Such  a  central  office 
could  afford  to  employ  the  best  designers,  and 
could  distribute  suggestions  and  advice  and  ex- 
pert criticism  which  would  insure  adequate  re- 
sults. 

The  equipment  of  a  small  pottery  is  not  ex- 
pensive and  is  to-day  easily  obtainable.  The 
kilns,  which  are  the  principal  item  of  expense, 
may  now  be  obtained  in  compact  and  practical 
form,  the  expense  varying  from  $100  to  $1,000, 
depending  upon  the  size.  If  gas  is  used  for 
heat,  there  is  little  or  no  objectionable  smoke. 
The  whole  process  may  be  carried  on  without 
prohibitive  physical  effort. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
LIGHT  BLACKSMITHING 

Interesting  work  done  without  great  outlay  of  physical 
strength.  Expert  knowledge  of  qualities  of  iron  and 
its  behavior  gained  from  blacksmiths. 

Material  easily  obtained  in  rods  of  any  desired  size. 

Requisites, — forge  fire,  anvil  and  hammer. 

Making  of  pokers  and  of  boot  scrapers  described. 

Illustrations  of  fireplace  tools  and  of  a  foot  scraper. 


VIII 

LIGHT  BLACKSMITHING 

AT  first  thought  it  seems  absurd  to  suppose 
than  an  invalid  might  use  with  advantage  so 
strenuous  an  occupation  as  blacksmithing. 
The  term  blacksmith  covers  a  very  wide  range 
of  work  and  does  not  necessarily  mean  horse- 
shoeing or  making  the  heavy  iron  work  for 
carriages.  The  reader  will  perhaps  be  sur- 
prised to  learn  that  a  great  deal  of  very  inter- 
esting and  practical  light  iron  work  may  be 
made  with  comparatively  little  expenditure  of 
energy.  In  almost  every  village  there  is  a 
blacksmith  shop  and  a  blacksmith  skilled,  to 
be  sure,  in  heavy  work  but  also  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with  the  qualities  of  iron  and  its  be- 
havior in  the  fire  and  on  the  anvil.  Such  a 
man  will  probably  have  no  conception  of  the 
artistic  possibilities  of  light  iron  work,  but  his 
expert  knowledge  of  the  material  may  be  util- 
ized if  we  know  how  to  go  about  it. 

143 


144       HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

Iron  comes  from  the  mills  in  various  shapes 
and  it  is  always  possible  to  obtain  round  rods 
of  almost  any  thickness.  A  rod  of  soft  iron 
three-eighths  of  an  inch  thick  and  four  feet 
long  may  be  made  into  a  most  interesting  and 
practical  poker  for  the  fireplace  with  a  little 
practice  by  any  one  with  ordinary  mechanical 
ability.  The  blacksmith's  forge  fire,  an  ordi- 
nary anvil  and  a  light  weight  hammer  are  the 
requisites.  Six  or  eight  inches  of  the  end  of 
the  rod  are  heated  white  and  pounded  into  a 
ring  or  an  oval  handhold  over  the  horn  of  the 
anvil.  When  this  end  of  the  poker  is  cooled, 
the  other  end  of  the  rod  is  heated  and  turned 
over  at  a  right  angle.  The  end  of  the  rod  can 
then  be  hammered  flat  and  pointed,  all  with 
the  same  hammer  and  with  little  difficulty. 
Such  a  poker  is  strong,  large,  and  interesting 
from  its  very  quality  of  being  hand-made.  It 
is,  of  course,  quite  possible  to  elaborate  the  de- 
sign. But  a  fireplace  implement  made  this 
way  is  desirable  from  its  very  simplicity. 
Those  of  us  who  have  poked  the  fire  with  the 
short,  skimpy  pokers  of  commerce,  know  how 
to  appreciate  a  long  heavy  poker  which  does 
not  bring  the  face  too  close  to  the  fire  and 


f 


O  *i 


LIGHT  BLACKSMITHING  145 

which  is  strong  enough  to  use  freely  without 
bending. 

In  a  similar  way  a  long  fire  fork  may  be 
made  and  is  a  most  useful  adjunct  to  the  group 
of  fireplace  tools.  The  shaft  of  such  a  fork 
should  be  at  least  four  feet  long  with  a  looped 
handle  at  the  top.  The  prongs  are  made  by 
splitting  the  heated  end  of  the  rod  with  a  cold 
chisel,  and  then  rounding  the  prongs  with  a 
light  hammer.  A  third  or  central  prong  may 
be  welded  in  with  a  little  experience. 

An  excellent  fireplace  shovel  may  be  made 
by  turning  up  three  sides  of  a  square  of  sheet 
iron,  riveting  or  welding  on  a  long  round 
handle. 

There  is  no  end  to  the  useful  objects  which 
can  be  made  of  wrought  iron.  Fire  dogs  or 
andirons  of  a  most  useful  and  attractive  sort 
may  be  made  with  a  little  practice.  Great 
hinges  and  hasps  for  the  doors  of  country 
houses,  iron  bars  for  fastening  doors,  and  the 
staples  to  go  with  them,  wrought  iron  nails 
with  specially  hammered  heads,  foot  scrapers 
for  doorways:  these  are  some  of  the  interesting 
and  effective  possibilities. 

No  attempt  is  made  here  to  describe  the  ac- 


146      HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 

tual  technique  of  such  work;  the  instruction 
which  any  good  blacksmith  can  give  will  be 
worth  more  than  the  most  elaborate  descrip- 
tion. The  degree  of  heat  to  be  used,  the  force 
of  the  blows,  the  knack  of  turning  the  iron — all 
of  these  must  be  learned  by  experience.  The 
writer  knows  of  no  more  fascinating  work. 
There  is  something  about  the  flying  sparks  and 
the  unexpected  softness  and  pliability  of  the 
hot  iron  that  lend  to  such  work  a  charm  hard 
to  describe.  The  accompanying  photographs 
represent  articles  made  after  a  few  weeks'  prac- 
tice by  an  amateur  blacksmith  who  had  never 
before  tried  his  hand  at  working  in  iron. 

Often  enough  the  village  blacksmith  forge 
and  anvil  are  too  much  occupied  to  admit  of 
teaching  and  experimenting.  It  is  quite  pos- 
sible nowadays  to  buy  of  the  manual  training 
houses  a  portable  forge  which  can  be  easily 
connected  with  the  flue  of  the  blacksmith's 
chimney.  An  extra  anvil  costs  little  and  the 
necessary  tools  are  not  expensive.  With  prac- 
tice the  pupil  should  be  able  to  turn  out  a  line 
of  fireplace  iron  which  will  command  a  good 
price.  In  the  country  village  where  there  are 
summer  visitors,  these  special  local  products 


FOOT  SCRAPER. 

Made  after  a  few  weeks'  experience  at  the  anvil. 


LIGHT  BLACKSMITHING  147 

are  sure  to  excite  interest  and  a  market.  It 
is,  of  course,  not  so  easy  in  the  city  to  arrange 
for  iron  work,  as  the  hammering  is  somewhat 
noisy  and  as  the  city  blacksmith  shops  are  usu- 
ally too  busy  to  bother  with  pupils. 


IX 
APPENDIX 

BOOKS  ON  CRAFTS 

GENERAL 

Arts    and    Crafts    in    the    Middle 

Ages Julia  de  W.  Addison. 

Industrial  Arts   of  Scandinavia  in 

the  Pagan  Time Hans  Hildegrand. 

The  Origin  of  Gilds C.  Walford. 

Two  Thousand  Years  of  Gild  Life  .  J.  M.  Lambert. 

Revival  of  Handicraft  in  America  .  West. 

Early  American  Craftsmen  .     .     .  Walter  Dyer. 

Training  of  a  Craftsman     .     .     .  Lane. 

Principles  and  Practice  of  Decora- 
tion      .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .  R.  G.  Hatton. 

Text  Book  in  Domestic  Art     .     .  Carrie  Crane  Ingalls. 

Art   Applied  to  Industry     .     .     .  W.  Burges. 

The  Art  Crafts  for  Beginners  .     .  Frank  G.  Sanford. 

Decorative  Arts William  Morris. 

Handicrafts  in  the  Home     .     .     .  Mabel  Tuke  Priestman. 

Home  Life  in  Colonial  Days     .     .  Alice  Morse  Earle. 

Arts  and  Crafts  Movement  .     .     .  Oscar  Lovell  Triggs. 

Design  in  Theory  and  Practice     .  Ernest  A.  Bachelder. 

Architecture,  Industry  and  Art     .  William  Morris. 

The  Decorative  Arts William  Morris. 

Hopes  and  Fears  in  Art     .     .     .  William  Morris. 

Handwork  Construction  ....  Lina  Eppendorff. 

The  Work  of  Our  Hands     .     .     .  Hall  &  Buck, 

149 


150        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 


BASKETRY 

The  Basket  Maker      .....  Luther  H.  Turner. 

Cane  Basket  Work Annie  Firth. 

Aboriginal  American  Basketry       .  Otis  T.  Mason. 

Practical  and  Artistic  Basketry      .  L.  R.  Tinsley. 

How  to  Make  Baskets     ....  Mary  White. 
More   Baskets  and  How  to  Make 

Them Mary  White. 

Indian  and  Other  Baskets     .     .     .  George  Wharton  James. 
Basket  Designs  of  the  Indians  of 

Northwestern  California    .     .     .  A.  L.  Kracher. 

The  Pine  Needle  Basket  Book  .     .  M.  J.  McAfee. 

Raffia  Basketry  as  a  Fine  Art  .     .  G.  P.  and  M.  P.  Ashley. 

The  Basketry  Book Mary  Miles  Blanchard. 

Raffia  Work A.  H.  Bowers. 

Basketry  Book Ed.  by  Paul  Hasluck. 

Raffia— Indian   Basket  Work     .     .  Jacot. 

The    Basketry    of    the    Pomos,    Tlingits,    etc.,   issued    by   the 

American  Museum  of  Natural  History. 
Articles  in  the  Craftsman,  The  House  Beautiful,  School  Arts 

Magazine,  etc. 

NETTING 

How  to  Make  Knots,  Bends  and 

Splices  . T.  G.  Biddle. 

Varied  Occupations  in  String  Work. 

(Macram6,  Netting,  etc.)  .  .  .  Louise  Walker. 

Knotting  and  Splicing     ....  Ed.  by  Paul  Hasluck. 

Knots,  Splices  and  Rope  Walks   .  A.  H.  Verrill. 

WEAVING  AND  ALLIED  CRAFTS 

Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Tex- 
tile Designs    .......  Barker. 

Story  of  Textiles  ......  Walton. 

Household  Textiles  Charlotte  Gibbs. 


APPENDIX  151 

Textiles .     .  W.  H.  Dooley. 

Textiles Woolman  &  McGowan. 

Hand-loom  Weaving   .     .     .     .     .  Luther  Hooper. 

Warp  and  Woof  (The  Linen  In- 
dustry)    Edith  Very 

Book  of  Hand  Woven  Coverlids     .  E.  C.  Hall. 

Practical  Loom  Fixing     ....  Albert  Ainley. 

Ancient      Egyptian      and      Greek 

Looms        Bankfield  Museum  Notes. 

The  Story  of  a  Homespun  Web     .  W.  Godfrey  Blount. 

Spinnerei  und  Weberei     ....  Georg  Lindner. 

Haandbok   i   Vaeveing     ....  Halvorsen. 

Art,  Ethics,  and  Economics  in 
Handloom  Weaving.  Embroid- 
ery and  Tapestry  Weaving  .  .  Macmillan. 

Tapestries — Their    Origin,    History 

and  Renaissance       ......  George  Leland  Hunter. 

Book  of  the  Bayeux  Tapestry    .     .  Hilaire  Belloc. 

The  Bayeux  Tapestry       .     .     .     .  F.  R.  Fowke. 

Samplers,  and  Tapestry  Embroid- 
eries    Marcus  B.  Huish. 

Indian  Blankets  and  Their  Makers  George  Wharton  James. 

Navajo  Weavers Washington  Matthews. 

Art  in  Needlework Day  and  Buckle. 

Rugs,  Oriental  and  Occidental  .     .  Holt. 

Oriental  Rugs Mumford. 

The  Craft  of  Hand-made  Rugs     .  Amy  Mali  Hicks. 

Philippine  Mats.  Manual  of  Mat  Making  issued  by  Philippine 
Island  Bureau  of  Education. 

Encyclopedia  of  Needlework     .     ..  Therese  de  Dillmont. 

Textile  World. 

Master  Weavers  of  the  Desert  Empire.  Harper  for  July, 
1915,  and  other  magazine  articles  in  the  Craftsman,  The 
House  Beautiful,  Art  and  Decoration,  School  Arts,  etc. 


HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 


DYEING 

Principles  of  Dyeing G.  S.  Fraps. 

The  Synthetic  D^estuffs  ....  Jocelyn  Field  Thorpe. 

Dyes  and  Dyeing Charles  E.  Pellew. 

Handicrafts  in  the  Home.     (Chap- 
ter on  Dyeing) Mabel  Tuke  Priestman. 

BOOK-BINDING 

Bookbinding  and  the  Care  of  Books  Douglas  Cockerill. 

Bookbinding  for  Amateurs  .     .     .  W.  J.  E.  Crane. 

Elementary  Bookbinding       .     .     .  Mary  Stiles. 

Practical   Bookbinding      .     .     *     ,.  P.  Adam. 

Art  of  Bookbinding Zaehnsdorf. 

Directions    for    Mending    and    Re- 
pairing Books- Stiles. 

Book-binding ,.  Ed.  by  Paul  Hasluck. 

CEMENT  WORK 

Concrete  Pottery  and  Garden  Fur- 
niture     Ralph  C.  Davison. 

(Munn  &  Co.) 

Concrete  Stone  Manufacture      .     .     Harvey  Whipple. 
And    articles    in    Concrete-Cement 

Age,  and  Industrial  Arts  Maga-    Concrete     Cement     Age 
zine       .     .     .     t.     .     .     .     .     .        Pub.  Co.,  Detroit,  Mich. 

The     Bruce     Publishing 
Co.,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

POTTERY  MAKING 

Pottery  Making J.  R.  Webb. 

How  to  Make  Pottery     ....    Mary  White. 


APPENDIX  153 


METAL  WORKING 

Treatises  of  Benvenuto  Cellini  .     . 

Iron  Work .     .  J.  S.  Gardner. 

Silver  Work Wilson. 

Elementary  Metal  Work       .     .     .  C.  S.  Leland. 
Art   Crafting  in   Metal   for  Ama- 
teurs       Chandler. 

Handwork  in  Wood  and  Metal     .  Hopper  and  Shirley. 

Copper  Work Rose. 

MISCELLANEOUS 
Toy  Making — Cassell  &  Co. 
Toys  and  Toy-Making— G.  H.  Johnson. 
Making  Fences,  Walls  and  Hedges— W.  H.  Butterfield. 
Making  Floors— Abbot  McClure. 
Lantern  Making — H.  A.  Rankin. 
Manual  of  Shoe  Making— H.  W.  Dooly. 
Boot  Making  and  Mending— Ed.  by  Paul  Hasluck. 
Printing — Jacobi. 

DEALERS  IN   CRAFT  WORK  SUPPLIES 

Basketry— Reed  and  Raffia.         Milton  Bradley  Co.,  73  Fifth 
Chair       Seating— Cane       and          Ave.,  New  York  City. 

Rush.  J.  L.  Hammet  Co.,  Boston  and 

Netting— Hammock         cords,         Cambridge. 

needles,  etc. 

WEAVING 

Looms,   bobbin   winders,   and  (  Devereux    Mansion,    Marble- 
shuttles,  head,  Mass. 

The  Reed  Mfg.  Co.,  Spring- 
Rug  Looms.  fleld>  OMo 

Mrs.  W.  Nott  Shook,  41  W. 
Homecraft  Loom.  New  york  CUjr 


154        HANDICRAFTS  FOR  THE  HANDICAPPED 


Reeds  and  Heddles. 


Mercerized       thread,        gold 
thread,  and  wool. 


Warps. 


Rug  material. 


Dyed  Yarns  for  hand  weav- 
ing. 

Dyes. 

Book-binding  Supplies. 
Printers  Supplies. 


Tinkler   &   Co.,   Philadelphia, 

Pa. 
John    Huber   Co.,   511    West 

S9th  St.,  New  York  City. 
F.    A.     Straus    &    Co.,    451 

Fourth     Ave.,    New    York 

City. 

L.  Littauer,  109  Greene  St., 

New  York  City. 
Tinkler  &   Co.,   Philadelphia, 

Pa.         (Chained        Cotton 

Warps.) 

Elms  &  Sillon,  52  Chauncy 
St.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Milton  Bradley  Co.,  73  Fifth 
Ave.,  New  York  City. 
(Spooled  cotton  warp.     Cot- 
ton roving.    Coarse  spooled 
wool.) 

The  Reed  Mfg.  Co.,  Spring- 
field, Ohio.  (Spooled  cot- 
ton rug  warps.) 

Devereux  Mansion,  Marble- 
head,  Mass. 

H.  A.  Metz  &  Co.,  122  Hud- 
son SL,  New  York  City. 

De  Jonge  &  Co.,  73  Duane 
St.,  New  York  City. 

Damon  &  Sons,  44  Beekman 
St.,  New  York  City. 


APPENDIX 


155 


CEMENT  SUPPLIES 


Cement — Atlas  Portland  Ce- 
ment (gray). 

Cement— Atlas  Portland  Ce- 
ment (white). 

Sand— Any  clean  sharp  crys- 
tal sand,  medium  size. 

Cement  colors. 

Medusa  Waterproofing. 


Tools.  Small  trowel  for 
smoothing  and  finishing, 
figure  6346^%. 


30  Broad  St.,  New  York  City. 


Waldo    Bros.,    Batterymarch 

St.,  Boston,  Mass. 
B.  F.  Drakenfeld  &  Co.,  50 

Murray  St.,  New  York  City. 

Cutter    &    Wood,    Pearl    St., 
Boston,  Mass. 


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